A man has had his hair cut for the first time in a year in memory of his nan – “the nicest woman you could ever meet”.
Aaron Rusbridge made the decision on to go 12 months without cutting his hair to raise funds for Dementia UK, a national charity which aims to improve the quality of life for those affected by the brain condition.
His nan Ann Gentle, from Baldock, suffered from dementia and died at the age of 89 in December, almost half way through Aaron’s fundraising effort.
The 28-year-old finally had his hair chopped off on Monday at Maxwells in Biggleswade, where he now lives after moving from Baldock.
So far Aaron has raised £910 for the cause, contributing £240 himself which he would have otherwise spent on haircuts over the course of the year.
About facing the scissors, he said: “I was actually quite nervous when I went in there, but now that my hair’s been cut it is certainly a lot more breezy around the ears!
“My nan was the nicest woman you could ever meet. She was loving to everyone so I wanted to give something back and raise money for Dementia UK, a cause that is massively important to me.
“It has been quite an experience over the past year and I am amazed we have almost doubled our initial target of £500.
“I want to say a special thanks to my friends Luanna and Lydia who helped to organise a hair and wig party that raised £400.”
Aaron’s sister Nicole Richards, who lives in Baldock, added: “Nan’s whole life was her family. She had five children, 17 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. She never missed a birthday despite having such a huge family.
“She was the most kind, loving person you would ever meet.Everyone who knew her loved her to bits.
“When she passed away she left a huge gap in all of our lives but she still lives on in each and every one of us due to the love and care she showed when she was alive.”
To support the cause visit www.justgiving.com/qsound21
• Staff at the Lister Hospital have been holding a dementia discovery week to raise awareness of the way the disease affects so many lives.
Visitors to the plaza at the Stevenage hospital have been able to try on an age simulation suit designed to mimic the effects of old age and dementia, as well as listening to a variety of lectures and educational events.
Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland joined members of the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust on Monday to launch the initiative, which has been running from 10am to 4pm at the hospital each day and concludes tomorrow, Thursday.
There are 800,000 people living with a diagnosed form of dementia in the UK, supported by 670,000 carers. By 2021 it is expected there will be more than one million people suffering from the condition – at a cost of around £23 billion.
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