A BRAVE radiographer dedicated to helping bring cancer care to Swindon went under the clippers at the weekend to have her locks chopped off for charity.

Ruth Ayre, from North Swindon, was so deeply moved by the plight of cancer sufferers that she decided to help raise money for Brighter Futures, the charity campaigning to bring radiotherapy to Swindon.

Ruth, 31, who works as a radiographer at the Great Western Hospital, sat in the hot seat at Alex’s Hair Salon in Highworth on Saturday afternoon and emerged twenty minutes later with a bald bonce.

“I can’t believe how different I look without hair, it’s really weird,” she said, as she peered at herself through the mirror. “It feels very strange indeed, but I’m pleased I’ve done it.”

Ruth’s friend Claire Brettle, also a radiographer at the hospital, came along to offer moral support. She said: “It is a really brave and generous thing to do because she’s volunteering to do it when so many other people don’t have a choice.

“Because we work at the hospital we see first-hand what people with cancer have to go through and it made us want to do something for the radiotherapy appeal.

“Ruth wanted to do something dramatic and we are all incredibly proud of her, I am very happy to call her my best friend.”

Ruth said: “I saw the Macmillan head shaves and I thought I would steal their idea and do it for Brighter Futures. I think it’s really important to bring radiotherapy to Swindon so that people don’t have to travel so far to be treated.”

Currently, anyone in Swindon who needs radiotherapy treatment has to make the hour-long journey to Oxford and back five times a week, which if you are feeling ill can be a serious ordeal.

“It’s a really horrible journey to have to make when you’re not well, and working at the hospital we see how it affects people,” Ruth said.

Rebecca Miller, another co-worker who came to support her friend, agreed, saying: “It will make such a huge difference to people’s lives if we can get a radiotherapy unit in Swindon.

“Ruth is selfless, completely selfless – and very brave. To do this to raise money to help others is amazing. She’s brilliant.”

The original fundraising target was just over £400, but the girls are confident that the £600 mark has been hit.

“Everybody has been really supportive,” said Ruth. "A lot of people have told me to get a hat, so I have a nice selection of hats to wear.”

The fundraising doesn’t end there, however. The girls are planning to do the Brighter Futures Reindeer Run in December, a 5k fun run from Coate Water to the Great Western Hospital.

For more information on the radiotherapy appeal, log on to http://www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk/.