A local law firm employee has taken part in ‘Brave the Shave’ this week as part of Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning national fundraiser.
Dianne Chandler, of Wragg Mark-Bell, shaved her head on 23 September to raise money for Macmillan during a socially-distanced coffee morning.
Her aim is to raise £1,500, and she is already £1,200 towards her goal. Dianne has been overwhelmed by the support of not only her family and friends, but local businesses, too.
Dianne said, “I’ve raised over a thousand pounds so far. I shared my fundraising page on Facebook, but businesses in town have also taken copies of my sponsor form to help get donations.
“People I know in Tesco, Castlegate Coffee House, and Alice’s shop on Castle Street have all helped to spread the word, it’s great.”
A hair stylist from Obe Hair Studio, Carlisle, also volunteered to shave Dianne’s head, free of charge.
Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning would usually be a public event, but the recent ‘rule of six’ has made this difficult. Wragg Mark-Bell decided on a socially-distanced coffee morning in their office for staff. Dianne wanted to incorporate her head shave fundraiser into this coffee morning as an extra way to raise money.
Dianne felt inspired to shave her head following a debilitating illness she suffered a few years ago, when she felt shaving her head would make life more manageable.
“I was ill a few years ago, and I could barely wash my hair. At the time, I considered shaving my head, but I never did.
“I watched a tv programme recently that said that Macmillan and other charities desperately need funds. One of the things mentioned was the Brave the Shave campaign, and I thought I would do my bit to raise money for them.
“It’s such a fantastic name, Brave the Shave. Everyone says it – ‘you’re so brave’. I don’t feel brave; I’m only shaving my head, I’m not living with cancer everyday and needing help in my home. But obviously this help has to be paid for somehow. If I can do a little bit to raise money for this, then that’s fantastic.
But Dianne didn’t face her head shave alone. Her daughter and two-year-old grandson came to watch and support her.
She said, “I wanted my grandson to be there to watch. He’s only two and I didn’t want him seeing me for the first time when my hair was all gone – he needed to see the process so he didn’t wonder what happened!
“Everyone kept asking if I was nervous, but I’ve actually been looking forward to it.
“I’ve only ever had my hair cut short once when I was 11 years old, and I hated it. But now, I’m thinking of all the positives of it – not having to worry about washing my hair when I don’t have time, and I wear a hat all winter regardless so it won’t make much difference in that respect.
“We all know people who have suffered with cancer, and they’ve had such great help from Macmillan. It’s just great to be able to support such an important charity.”
You can sponsor Dianne at https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/dianne-chandler
