A MOTIVATED fundraiser from west Cumbria has braved the shave for charities that support people with cancer.

Billy Bears Fun Centre on Kells in Whitehaven hosted a Macmillan Day on October 11 to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Karl Holme had been growing his hair out to shave it off for the charity on the big day.

He was inspired to lose his locks for Macmillan, as the charity offers support to people diagnosed with cancer.

Karl’s family has had its own tragic experience with cancer, and so he shaved his head in memory of his mother-in-law Judith Batey.

He said: “I did it in memory of my wife’s mum: she was 49 when she lost her battle with cancer about six years ago.

“[Her death] had a real impact, on my wife more than me.

“In a way [this fundraising] is to help her and the children that never met their grandmother.”

As well as raising more than £360 for Macmillan, Karl also opted to donate his hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which uses real hair to make wigs for girls with cancer.

Billy Bear’s Fun Centre raised an additional £194.06 thanks to the popularity of its cakes, biscuits and other treats, as well as selling tickets for a raffle. Visitors also paid for entry into a competition to guess the number of berries in a pie.

Cupcakes were supplied for the sale by Karen Scott of Karen’s Bakes, which operates out of the town and caters for events such as weddings, parties and christenings.

Sian Anthony, of Billy Bears Fun Centre, said: “We would like to thank everyone for coming and supporting us and Karl. Between us we raised more than £500, which is a fantastic amount.”

Speaking of the overall success, Karl added: “It was a great day, with a great turnout.

“It was a worthy cause and I’m going to think of what to do next.”

Karl’s fundraiser added to a total of £2,396,581 raised by Brave the Shave efforts this year.

The charity said the funds came from 8,233 separate head shaves and will now be used to fund 45 Macmillan nurses for a year.