Five brave youngsters have had a close shave for a Huddersfield charity.
All are just 13 but have had theirs heads shaved to raise much-needed cash for the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust.
And their efforts have been praised by officials of the Huddersfield charity, which was set up in memory of former Greenhead College student Laura, who lost her fight with cancer as a teenager.
The friends from the South Yorkshire area joined the fight against cancer in young people whilst raising over £1,000 for cancer charities.
They heard about a family friend who was celebrating her 40th birthday and was turning her celebration into a fundraiser for the Cancer Trust and all decided they would have their heads shaved in support of other young people, who through no choice of their own, will lose their hair whilst undergoing harsh regime chemotherapy in the fight against their cancer.
One of the group Dane Askew also wanted to donate his hair to be made into wigs for cancer patients and therefore it needed to be at least 6 inches long – so it was a requirement that he had his head shaved to his scalp. The others followed suit.
Dean James Fox, Community Ambassador for the LCYCT, said: “What an incredibly mature group of friends to make such a brave decision and to have their heads shaved for charity.
“We are extremely proud of Ross Walshe, Reece Wilkinson, Ewan McNally, Harry Campbell and Dane Askew for facing this challenge in front of hundreds of people and they were still smiling at the end, although many others in the room were shedding tears of great pride at these brave young lads.
“I know the charity is particularly keen to engage young people in the fight against cancer as they are their future supporters! And we all know it is important for people to understand they can make a difference to the world around them.”
The boys all attend Outwood Academy Adwick School in Doncaster and are hoping their hair has grown sufficiently by the end of the summer holidays so they are not contravening any dress codes once they return to school!
The LCYCT supports 39 hospitals throughout the UK admitting young cancer patients in the age group 13-24 including Sheffield’s Weston Park Hospital, The Royal Hallamshire, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, St James’s Hospital in Leeds and Castle Hill Hospital in Hull.
