Cat and Pals Shave Their Heads for @the Halls

On Saturday 23rd September at 3pm in the courtyard of the beautiful Victoria and Albert Halls, I'll be shaving my head to raise money for my organisation @theHalls Ballater. I'm delighted to say I will be joined by a couple of pals who are also passionate about the cause, Nicola and Kate... There will be a "hat" for cash donations on the day but if you are too far away to enjoy the spectacle, you might like to donate here... :-)

@the Halls was formed in January 2022 and since then it has hosted a number of new events and initiatives for the benefit of the V&A Halls and the wider community. The weekly warm space Toasty!, classes in Art, British Sign Language and (soon) Food Hygiene, Vintage & Antiques Fairs, The Repair Stop, Havoc kids' games and crafts, Yoga, various Sports (don't mention Badminton), Hall of Bricks (Lego), Bouncy Castles, Books and Busking have all featured.

I've had heaps of support from lots of fabulous people and volunteers from Ballater and beyond and I hope plenty folk from all walks of life have enjoyed themselves and/or learned something on the journey so far. The V&A Halls has also received grants from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund and The MacRobert Trust to fund my time and these activities. I am extremely grateful for these and will continue to seek funding from outside organisations (this, as you know, takes time!).

So @theHalls still needs money - for insurance, hall hires, printing, all the boring stuff, to keep it in the black for the coming Winter, when sheltered space is most needed. I'd also like to be able to pay for more expertise to come in and host workshops or regular opportunities to learn something new, useful or fun to do.

And I'm due a bald spell (I last did this in 2010) and I thought it might be fun if some of our younger participants of @theHalls events would like a turn wielding the clippers....? Heaven help me :-)

Sarah-Jane from the Hair Loft will also be on hand to tidy up the mess they make of my head (thank you!)... and THANK YOU in advance for your support of @theHalls.