A close shave raises almost £2,000 for lung cancer support
Claire Hamilton-Thomas and her husband Bob organised a fund-raiser Preston North End’s Invincibles Lounge, where they shaved their long hair in aid of British Lung Foundation.For 29-year-old Claire, the evening was particularly poignant, as it was held in honour of her dad, John Hamilton, who died of COPD in March 2014, aged 67. The event would have marked his 70th birthday.She said: “My dad was diagnosed with a lung condition four years before he died. He was breathless and struggled breathing. He didn’t really tell us much about it, but we saw him deteriorate. He was a proud man and wanted to be as strong as he could be.“Dad was only 67 when he died, leaving behind myself, my sister Sarah and his grandaughter Paige.“Seeing what happened to my dad made me want to help other families and prevent them from the struggles we want. We also wanted to help raise money for people who were struggling financially due to being out of work.“This year would be his 70th birthday and to do something memorable Bob and I decided to shave our heads to raise money for a cause that supports COPD sufferers. “Anyone that knows me or Bob will know this is a big deal. I had bright red shoulder length hair which has seen many a odd colour and Bob has shoulder length curly locks that he has been growing for years. I dyed it back to brown for the fund-raiser and we have donated our hair to Little Princess Trust.”During the evening, £935 was donated, which was added to previous sponsors, totalling £1,800.In a bid to get extra donations, Claire, who lives in Preston, promised that if they reached their target of £1,000, she would have the charity’s balloon logo tattooed on her head.She added: “It was a fantastic night. We raised much more than our target, so we have done incredibly well.“I told people that if we raised more than £1,000 I would get British Lung Foundation’s logo tattooed on my head, so I stuck to my promise.“It was really uncomfortable and was tender for a while after but I did it. I am so proud of myself. That was so much more scary than shaving my head.”To sponsor Claire and Bob, visit http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Claire-hamilton1