Wes gets the chop to highlight importance of PPE supply
NICOLA FINDLAY
A Co-op Funeral Care worker based in East Kilbride has once again braved the shave for a good cause.
Wes Straton got rid of his fullsome beard to raise awareness and money – and not for the first time.
Co-op Funeralcare staff up and down the country has been taking part in the #ReachForTheRazor campaign, shaving their beards off to show solidarity with other key workers and maximising the effectiveness of their personal protective equipment (PPE).
Being clean shaven enables the PPE face mask to sit more securely on the individual’s face, decreasing infection risks to themselves, their families, and colleagues.
Key workers are posting photos of their before and after pictures on social media to raise awareness and to show support for other key workers doing the same, with the hashtag #ReachfortheRazor.
However, for Wes this is not the first time he has had to shave off his beloved beard in aid of others.
He usually wears his beard past his shoulders, but as part of Co-op’s commitment to supporting the local community, Wes raised £345 late last year for the East Kilbride Community Food Bank as his worthy charity to support.
And six years ago, Wes also took part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s ‘Brave the Shave’ Campaign, which raised over £500 to help Macmillan’s work in improving the lives of those living with cancer, and saw Wes totally shave his long hair off.
On that occasion Wes’ hair was given to The Little Princess Trust, which provides real-hair wigs to children who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and other illnesses.
He said: “What I love most about working at Co-op Funeralcare is being able to give something back, whether that is to clients, the wider community or to charities.
“Shaving my hair has always been a recurring thing for me, as I have grown it out and shaved it off many times over the past few years.
“So, I decided to see how much money I could raise for shaving my hair off.
“It’s excellent to think that something as simple as my hair has helped to raise over £800 for charity!”
And regarding the government’s advice for beard wearers and PPE, Wes added: “It’s amazing to see all of the photos online of all of the funeral staff who are reaching for the razor.
“It has really brought the community of key workers together, as well as raising awareness of the importance of doing so.”