A CAREWORKER from Walcot looks to be sporting a full head of hair, but Louise Pennock is currently wearing a wig after having her head shaved to raise money for a cause very close to her heart.

Louise's mother Inez Pennock was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer at the end of July, and after being told that an operation was not viable, she had the idea of getting her head shaved to raise funds of Bowel Cancer UK.

"I wish there was more I could do, but this is my contribution," she said. “Mum asked if she’d be able to write Christmas cards this year and the consultant replied ‘You might just.’ With no chance of an operation due to mum’s health issues, we thought raising money would be something positive to do, and once I’d set up a Justgiving site the money started coming in.”

Family and co-workers rallied round to help Louise lose her locks. She says: “I work for Willma Care Services who’ve been brilliant in helping me with time off when I need to be home or at the hospital, and they sorted out the venue and date for the event. My original idea was to do it at Hallowe’en, as that would have been my dad’s birthday but it actually went ahead at Hoburne Cotswold holiday park, at South Cerney, on Monday.”

Louise’s niece Dominee Stevens had been lined up to carry out the cutting, but hairdresser Nikki Evans happened to be attending a hen party at the park, and she volunteered, leaving Dominee to take photos of the event. Louise took the opportunity to collect money at the event, raising another £220.

Now missing her shoulder-length locks, Louise has taken to wearing a wig. She said: “My mum didn’t want to see me bald and I didn’t want to scare any of my clients so this works well.”

She added: “Adver readers might remember mum’s name as she was a regular contributor to Poetry Corner. She’s written about all sorts of subjects, and she has a framed cutting of her first poem to be printed in the Adver, which was entitled ‘A large dog shall lead me’”

In addition to the head-shave, Louise’s charity bid has received support from other sources. The church which her mum attends, St Andrews in Walcot, has raised £150, while another niece, Roxanne Tayler, held a dress-down day and raffle at work at the Nationwide Building Society. Roxanne’s total of £223.45 was generously matched by Nationwide and given direct to the charity.

Now Louise has raised over £1,345 for Bowel Cancer UK. She said: “I’m amazed – I thought that I wouldn’t get much as my hair wasn’t that long to begin with, but it’s been lovely to get such support. And I know the head-shave is now over, but if anyone would like to donate some money I’d be very grateful if they could do so at www.justgiving.com/Scrag-Pennock.”