Molly shaves her head for a cause close to home.
A Birmingham teenager has shaved off her hair to help the hospice that cared for her great-grandfather.
Fifteen-year-old Molly Harrison from Erdington has raised over £800 for John Taylor Hospice as a thank you for the care and support provided for her family.
Molly was only four years old when her great-grandfather George Harrison was cared for in the hospice’s In-Patient Unit in 2006.
“The hospice took such good care of him and I wanted to do this for them to show how much it means to me and my family,” explains Molly who is a student at Erdington Academy. “I feel really proud to have raised £808 – I didn’t think I’d make that much! I’d like to say thank you to everyone who sponsored me.”
Her bold fundraising challenge took place in front of an audience at Kingstanding Ex-Servicemen’s Club – somewhere George was a familiar face. Cheered on by family and friends Molly’s dad Mark shaved off her long brunette locks to raise vital funds for their local hospice.
Molly’s mum Sally Harrison said she clearly remembers the day that her daughter decided to do something special to raise money for the hospice. “When she was about nine her school, Firs Primary, held a cake sale in aid of John Taylor Hospice,” recalls mum-of-four Sally. “A member of hospice staff went to collect the cheque and spoke to the children about fundraising to help their local community. Molly came out of school that day and asked me if the hospice was where we went to visit grandad. When I said yes she told me she wanted to do something to help them.”
The hospice provides specialist palliative and end of life care for people living with a terminal illness and their families and relies heavily upon public donations.
Sally added: “Hospice staff just couldn’t do enough for me and my family. We could visit at any time and were even able to stay overnight and bring grandad his favourite takeaway food! It felt like a home from home and we’re so thankful that they supported us to make the most of our precious time together. We’re full of pride for Molly and think it’s amazing that she has done this to help families just like ours.”
Molly will be donating her hair to children’s cancer charity Little Princess Trust who provide real hair wigs, free of charge, to children across the UK and Ireland that have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.
John Taylor’s Head of Fundraising Katie Mitchell said: “Molly is simply an amazing fundraiser! We are full of admiration for her and so grateful to everyone that backed her fundraising efforts. Our supporters go to great lengths to raise money for us and we can’t thank them enough for their kindness and generosity.”
Find out how you can get involved in fundraising for John Taylor Hospice by visiting www.johntaylorhospice.org.uk