So as you may have seen on my social media, I’ve decided to shave my hair for charity. I absolutely love the this look and have always wanted to do it myself, and life is too short to wait when it's for an amazing cause! I will be attempting to raise £600 minimum for the Arthur Rank Hospice, and Mind, a mental health charity, and divide whatever is raised equally between the two. Both are such incredible charities that are so close to my heart for such different reasons, so when someone suggested that rather than choosing one, I donate to both, I thought this was perfect.

Arthur Rank Hospice

For those that don’t know, my dad lost his battle to a long-term illness when I was nine years old. He was hilarious, creative, and never lost faith. He loved animals, and he owned his own wildlife hospital, Cares in Haddenham. He was adamant that once he put his mind to something, it’d be done. I see that determination in my two siblings, Summer and Cleary. We miss him so terribly; nothing can ever replace our dad and his talent, but in a situation in which sometimes you feel nothing but helpless after losing someone, actively choosing to contribute to their legacy is the best way to ensure you honour them. Arthur Rank looked after him when he needed it most. I’ve never asked much about his time at hospice, solely because I’m not ready to hear it, but I do know that they used to put the food for the foxes near his window, so he could see the animals. This alone is enough for me to know that their work deserves more recognition than I’ll ever be able to give; they listened to his passions and incorporated that into his time at Arthur Rank, I know how much comfort this must have brought him. I hope that this fundraising will honour his memory, as well as supporting the hospice that looked after him. I can never emphasise enough just how important end of life care is to those suffering a terminal illness and their families. Thank you x

Mind

I wanted to donate to a mental health charity for numerous reasons; I lost my friend, Hannah Mackenzie, to mental health in August 2018, she was the funniest person I've ever had the fortune of meeting, and a force to be reckoned with. Once you spoke to Hannah once, you wanted to be her friend. My life has without a doubt been emptier since losing her. I have also struggled with mental health for eight years, and despite now coming out the other side of the tunnel thanks to my friends and family, mental health charities such as Mind are a huge reason I have been able to recover. The work of these charities has been pivotal in saving many lives in a country in which the thinly spread NHS services cannot keep up with the mental health crisis. In 2020, Mind took over 119,000 calls from people in need, their mental health information was accessed over 18 million times, and local mind services supported 333,000 people. This is an incredible charity full of selfless people that dedicate their lives to ensure that others can access the help they need, and this is something I would like to contribute to in any way I can. Hair is replaceable, but people like Hannah aren't. I hope that any contributions I can raise will help pave the way for people that are seeking help in a mental health crisis.

I've contacted my lovely hairdresser, who is kindly shaving my hair for free as soon as possible after the restrictions are lifted on April 12th, and as soon as I have a date, I'll update this page and my social media. If you can't donate, that's absolutely fine, but if you could share this page, that'd help so much.

Thank you for reading! xxx