Charity benefits from hair-raising challenge
Karen loses locks to gain £1,200 for Macmillan nurses
A brave mum has completed a hair- raising challenge in aid of nurses who support cancer patients.
Karen Reid, from Erskine, has had her head shaved to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Sporting long brunette locks before going for the chop, one foot of Karen’s mane has been donated to The Little Princes Trust.
The kind-hearted fundraiser told the Paisley Daily Express the good deed was a no-brainer.
“My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of this year,” Karen said.
“As soon as we were given the news, I wanted to do anything I could to help.
“That’s when I heard about Brave the Shave.”
Raising over £5,000,000 this year alone, Brave the Shave is a UK-wide campaign from Macmillan Cancer Support encouraging people to shave their head.
The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs free of charge to children and young adults up to the age of 24 that have lost their own hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses.
Asking her hairdresser cousin Erica Neilson, 19, to do the honours at McCallum’s in Paisley town centre, Karen signed up and braved the shave on Saturday, April 7.
So far the 33-year-old has raised around £ 1,200 for Macmillan, with more donations still to be counted.
“Erica was shaking like a leaf on the day but I couldn’t wait to do it, I was like a kid at Christmas,” Karen added.
“So many people have supported me which is amazing. “I wanted to do it for them too.” Karen’s mum Angela, 59, is now gearing up for rounds of radiotherapy, although thankfully her cancer was caught early.
With a skydive already under her belt, Karen is no stranger to fundraising for a good cause.
“My dad has multiple sclerosis and I was diagnosed with it five years ago,” she said.
“Since then I’ve loved taking on a challenge, so this is no different.”
With Macmillan nurses in mind as Erica gave her big cousin a number two shave all over, Karen says their support for the whole family has been invaluable.
“Right from mum’s diagnosis, Macmillan nurses have been amazing,” she added.
“Medical staff are great but you’re only with them for a couple of minutes.
“These nurses are on hand all the time, full of support.
“This is my way of saying thank you to them.”
Jayne Forbes, Macmillan area fundraising manager for West of Scotland, commented: “A massive thank you to Karen for braving the shave for Macmillan.
“It’s a fantastic amount of money for one person to raise.
“We could not offer the muchneeded support to people affected by cancer in Paisley without support from people like Karen, and we are incredibly grateful.”
If you would like to donate to Karen’s cause visit www.justgiving. com/fundraising/karen-reid15.
For more information on Brave the Shave check out www. bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk
Details on the work of The Little Princess Trust can be found at www. littleprincesses.org.uk/