The rumours are true.. I am going to shave my head! And yes, it will be properly done - right down to the skin, buffed to a high-profile shine :D The story behind this apparent insanity follows..

On 21st Jan 2010, I challenged the people in one of the youth groups I help run to grow their hair for 6 months as a response to a session on Identity, in which I made the suggestion that what we think of ourselves & each other should not be based on the clothes we wear or the way we look, but that the foundation of who we are could be built on something much more solid.

Some of the group only managed to last a couple of weeks before giving into the urge to trim the split ends, some lasted longer but were gently coerced into cutting their hair by parents, teachers or employers, and some ultimately bowed to peer pressure, but in the end everyone apart from me gave in, and well before the end of the 7 months I was the only one left growing my hair.

At that point, I could have claimed the victory and gone down to the barbers for a short back & sides - which would have made my wife very happy - but I decided to continue growing my hair until the date we had set, as I am quite stubborn and like to make a point if it is worth making.

However, when the day arrived I thought that if I had grown my hair for 6 months, I could quite easily do so for another 6 months and then make good use of all that effort by asking people to sponsor me to shave my head. One person I spoke to liked this idea so much that they said they'd give me £50 if I did it, and at that point I realised it may be possible to raise a better amount of money than I had previously thought.

It was about that time when I heard that Serve Direct were starting a project to build a new school for the children of Wobulenzi Town Academy, which provides a home and education to orphans of parents with HIV/Aids and the war conflict in Uganda. After a chat with one of their young volunteers, I decided to aim for a target of £3000 which will be enough to build one of the the six classrooms the new school will have.

So, almost a year on from the start of this story, my hair is now a total state, and I am psychologically preparing myself to go bald well before I naturally should. I won't say that I will only do this if I reach the £3000 target, as the project really needs the money, however much I raise. But I will say that whoever makes the largest donation can have the honour of shearing me!

Please give generously, and check out Serve Direct's website for more information on who they are and how the new school they are building will transform the lives of the children it will serve.

Many thanks : )
Matt.