During lockdown, many of us have had to make do with growing our hair to the longest it has ever been! Chris, however, was growing his hair before lockdown. In fact, he has been growing his hair for 30 months to be exact! Why you ask? Well, on Saturday 18th July Chris will be braving the shave and saying goodbye to his long locks, to help raise funds for the hospice and to donate his hair to the Little Princess Trust! Here, Chris tells us more about why he is taking on this fantastic challenge;
“I have heard about people donating hair for wigs, so I decided to look into it. I have never really gone more than 3 months without getting a haircut, but when I read up that they really needed hair that was 12” long or more, I decided that I would grow it for the 30 months it would take to reach that length!
My mom, Kathy was cared for at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice during the last few weeks of her life. She also worked there as a nurse for a couple of years. So, along with donating my hair to the Little Princess Trust, I wanted to fundraise for the Hospice, as it was so wonderful to my mom and also to my family in her last days.”
“At first, I didn’t really tell anyone my plan until about six months in, when people started to notice that my hair was starting to get a bit shaggy. Everyone was incredibly supportive and I even got a few tips on brushing and conditioning my hair! My nieces were also very excited that they would be able to add bows and style my hair!”
“I set a target of £200 on my Just Giving page and whilst I had no doubt that my friends, family and colleagues would donate generously, I’ve been amazed by just how generous everyone has been.”
Chris has now raised over £1400 for the hospice – which will help provide vital care and support to people across Birmingham and Sandwell to help them live well with their illness. If you would like to support Chris, you can make a donation on his Just Giving page –www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chris-gannon – Thank you Chris for you amazing support!
If you have been inspired by Chris to brave the shave or take on your own challenge to support the Hospice, tell us about your challenge here www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/tell-us-about-your-event/ and a fundraiser will be in touch to support you with your fantastic fundraising!
