Fife man ready to give up his locks to help others

A Fife storyteller will say goodbye to his dreadlocks after a quarter of a century, in the name of youth mental health.

Balmerino man Owen Pilgrim, 42, has revealed he will chop off his hair on June 5 to support Dundee charity Feeling Strong.

The longest of the rope-like strands, which have been growing since he was just a teenager, measure a whopping 34 inches.

Owen said the decision was taken to open up a new chapter in his life and to appease his 14-year-old daughter Freya, who has been encouraging him to ditch the dreads.

He said: “She used to love them but since she’s got a little older and started high school, she’s not so keen on them now.

“The decision is all mine of course but definitely a part of me doesn’t want to do it after so long.

“I do feel it’s time though and I’m a different person obviously to when I first started growing my hair at 17.

“It has been 25 years since I last cut it.” Owen has raised almost £500 already for Feeling Strong, which aims to improve the lives of young people aged between eight and 26 who are living with mental health challenges.

The charity runs a number of initiatives including a drop-in centre offering peer support and chats with volunteers about mental health recovery and self-care.

Owen, who is originally from Newfoundland in Canada, said: “I have worked in a residential school in the past helping troubled children, so I understand how difficult some upbringings can be.

“I know how important support is for them and I wanted to raise money for a charity that is local.”

Picture: Kim Cessford. Owen Pilgrim, from Balmerino, is cutting his dreadlocks to raise cash for charity Feeling Strong.