Joanna braves the shave for her dad

A Campbeltown woman has ‘braved the shave’ to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of her father.

Last Saturday Joanna McMillan took part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s fundraising campaign in memory of her dad, Evar, who passed away from cancer on January 25, 2019.

Brave the Shave sees people shave their heads in support of men, women and children suffering from cancer. According Macmillan Cancer Support, ‘brave shavers’ have raised more than £22.7 million since 2015, enough to fund 140 Macmillan nurses for three years.

Joanna, who sported shoulder-length locks beforehand, was surrounded by family, friends, colleagues and well-wishers when hair stylist Kim Mathieson took the clippers to her head in the Fiddlers Bar on Saturday, leaving her with just a few millimetres of stubble.

Joanna, who lives in Campbeltown and works as a domestic at Kintyre Care Home, said: ‘I’ve wanted to do it for years as so many people get and are affected by cancer. After my dad died, I thought, now is the time.

‘There are Macmillan nurses at Campbeltown Hospital and they do a lot for the people of the town.’

Asked how she felt on the day, Joanna said: ‘It was better than I thought it might be. It was only in the last half hour that

I started to get a bit nervous.’ Joanna braved the shave just before the dip in the mercury, and when asked if she was managing to deal with the cold, she said: ‘We saw there was snow forecast and a friend said I’d chosen the wrong week. But I’ve got a nice warm hat so I’m fine – it’s just my neck that’s cold!’

Joanna and her friends headed out and about after the shave and received many donations. She said: ‘The people of Campbeltown are brilliant – they are so generous. We raised a lot that night.

‘I’d like to thank everyone who has donated and also Kim who cut my hair.’

So far Joanna has made more than £620 – about £500 in cash and a further £120 on a JustGiving page set up by her friend – with more donations still to be added to the fund.

Visit www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/JoannaMcmillan3 to donate.

KC_c05braveshave01; KC_c05braveshave02 Left, Joanna was still smiling as hair stylist Kim Mathieson began to cut her hair. Joanna, sporting her Brave the Shave T-shirt, holds the hair that was cut from her head.