Hairy challenge: Margaret Dyer to shave head in aid of Rowcroft charity

Scary news (well for me) I'm having my head shaved at the end of May. Why? well several reasons one in honour of all the many friends I have lost to cancer, including Nick former Editor and creator of the Cottage Magazine, Rita a former colleague. And my friend Jack who became a paraplegic after a car accident sadly lost the battle with cancer. My good friend Linda's husband Pete, locally Michelle, Liz and Gilbert. I'm sure everyone of you has lost a friend or relative to cancer it touches everyone's lives.

Why Rowcroft? Rowcroft do so much not only for cancer sufferers but everyone with terminal condition and their families. The Rowcroft Hospice covers a 300sq miles area from Dartmouth to Dawlish and Bovey Tracey to Moretonhampstead. Care is given in their 17 bedded unit or in your own home, with a team of Registered Nurses with Specialist palliative care experience. They also have all sorts of therapist from physio therapist to Art and music therapist and also occupational therapist v. The list of what they do for patients and their families goes on and on.

It cost around £620 for one person's care for 24hrs and Rowcroft have to raise 70% of it's own funding. So this is another big reason for the head shave to raise money and awareness. The people who loose their hair threw cancer treatment or Alopecia, sometimes the hair grows back and it can be different from it's original state or not or not grow back at all. I know when I have my head shave I have the luxury of it eventually growing back I am under no illusion of looking like Jessie J, in fact I'm more in fear of looking like Mat Lucas.

So I got in touch with a lovely lady called Sarah Jones through a client who had seen Sarah give a demonstration at the local W.I. Sarah understands first hand how it feels to loose your hair it happened to her 30 year ago because of Alopecia and set up her company Battersea Jones. To help people find a wig in the comfort of their own homes.

Sarah wears a fantastic wig herself and also drives a open top sports car but told me with a smile she wears a scarf if going fast. I'm getting together with Sarah to create a new me one that defiantly doesn't resemble Mat Lucas. We are looking to do the head shave and also wax Joe's legs (very hairy ouch) on Friday May 30th around 6pm.

Thank you to Julie from the therapy suite (which has lovely new premises behind Thomas Bakery) for taking up that hairy challenge. Anyone wishing to contact Sarah or make a donation you can come along to NEW IMAGE on Friday May 30th at 6pm or phone 01626 832319 .

Margaret Dyer