Preston churchwarden Ann-Louise Robson braves the shave for Macmillan Cancer Support

A Lancashire churchwarden decided to "brave the shave" and have a radical hair cut just a week before her 60th birthday.
Ann-Louise after she braved the shave   (photo: Neil Cross)Ann-Louise after she braved the shave   (photo: Neil Cross)
Ann-Louise after she braved the shave (photo: Neil Cross)

Ann-Louise Robson had her lockdown locks shorn - all for a good cause.

She explained she decided to join the Macmillan Cancer Support fundraiser Brave The Shave after seeing family and friends hit by cancer.

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She said: "I've been thinking about it for a few years, especially after one of my friends at church was diagnosed with breast cancer and she lost a lot of her hair. Also at the beginning of the year my husband had his left eye removed due to cancer and my father died ten years ago from cancer ... but we have a lot of survivors amongst our family and friends."

Ann-Louise photographed with a full head of hair the week before the charity hair shaveAnn-Louise photographed with a full head of hair the week before the charity hair shave
Ann-Louise photographed with a full head of hair the week before the charity hair shave

The deputy churchwarden from St John the Baptist C. of E. church in Broughton said: "I wanted to do something and I finally plucked up the courage to do it."

She had a very interested observer, her grandson A.J. (Andrew James), at the hair cutting, which was done by her daughter Christine.

Ann-Louise said: "My grandson is autistic and he hates having his hair cut and my daughter has silent clippers (for him). He wanted to see nana having her hair cut like him."

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To begin with she set a target of raising £500 but soon surpassed that figure and raised it to £700. Before the event more than £1,100 had been raised and now the figure is £1600 and rising.

Ann-Louise celebrates raising funds for Macmillan after signing up for Brave The Shave   (photo: Neil Cross)Ann-Louise celebrates raising funds for Macmillan after signing up for Brave The Shave   (photo: Neil Cross)
Ann-Louise celebrates raising funds for Macmillan after signing up for Brave The Shave (photo: Neil Cross)

She said: "I'm absolutely blown away ... and I know there's some money waiting for me at the church as well."

Asked if she had stocked up on new head gear to acclimatise she said: "I have a vast array of scarves anyway but during this weather I probably won't feel the cold."

The mother of two and grandmother of two from Greyfriars Crescent, Fulwood, revealed it had been an excellent time to have the head shave following the Covid lockdown: "I hadn't had my hair cut and I hadn't had it coloured either. It was just about shoulder length. My roots had grown out. All my grey and white was showing. I thought this will be the ideal time to have the shave done."

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.She had been used to having short hair when she was a Wren, but never too short. Ann-Louise added: "I will have some very different photographs this time for my birthday."

As for the hair cut she is won over - and says her grandson likes it too. She said: "It felt liberating. It was wonderful. I really love it short. I'm so enjoying it. Everyone says how young I look. I think I'm going to stick with a short, short cut."

Ann-Louise's sponsorship page advises "Shaving in memory of Dad James Turner and all those who have survived"

To sponsor Ann-Louise see bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/annlouise-robson