A police officer who spent seven years growing his hair finally had the chop for charity having raised £8,000 after seeing close friends battle cancer.
Staffordshire PC Rich Lymer, whose hair measured up to 22 inches, braved the shave on Saturday 22 May.
The 39-year-old father-of-one says he is extremely proud of his achievement but admits the greater sense of pride comes from being able to raise funds for much needed charities.
“All eyes were on me, as a family friend and barber who has tended to my hair for the last five years set about snipping at my locks,” explains Rich.
“Once my hair was removed, he then used a shaver to set a grade zero all over to remove the left-over hair.
“He handed each section of hair that he snipped to me to dry my eyes of tears, until eventually it was all gone.
“One thing is for sure, the beard is definitely staying though, that’s not even up for debate.”
Rich says that although he thought he would seem nervous, he was more excited than anything.
“I’ve quite taken to my new haircut actually, I don’t think I’ll ever grow it that long again. My daughter and partner getting used to it is work in progress, shall we say,” says Rich, who says that his shorter crop means he has now got a sunburnt head for the first time in 39 years.
As well as raising thousands for good causes, Rich donated his locks to The Little Princess Trust, a charity that creates real wigs for children battling cancer.
“Considering my initial target was only £600 and I now have achieved over four and a half times that value for each charity is just incredible,” Rich adds, who was inspired to start fund-raising after three of his close friends were diagnosed with cancer.
“The success of my fund-raising is not down to my efforts alone but down to the generosity of friends, family, colleagues and even people who have never met me before. Through donations, social media shares or just kindness in attending my event to support me has meant I have achieved this amazing figure.
“The biggest thanks has to go to my family who have had to support me while I have organised and arranged this event. They’ve had to tolerate the stresses and strains I’ve been under while coping with me holding down a stressful job, working long hours and spending time away from them organising all this.”
The money Rich raised will be split between Katharine House, StrongMen and Mummy’s Star, all of which support people affected by cancer.
