A VOLUNTEER at a Forest charity shop “bravely” agreed to part with her hair to help raise more than £1500 on the 20th anniversary of Cancer Research UK (CRUK) last week.

The CRUK shop in Coleford hosted a special event to celebrate World Cancer Day on Friday, February 4 - which this year also marked 20 years since the UK charity was formed - with local volunteer Rainbow Walker taking on a sponsored head shave to raise money for the charity.

The event was one of thousands taking place across the country to mark 20 years since the national Cancer Research Campaign (CRC) merged with the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), to form CRUK as it is known today.

Staff and volunteers also ran a cake sale outside the shop as part of the event, which, together with Rainbow’s efforts, has helped to raise £1560 for the charity so far.

Cake sale volunteers, CRUK Coleford, Feb 4, 2022
CRUK volunteers Hayley Hayward and Margaret Pickles ran a cake sale outside the shop (CRUK)

Rainbow sat for her sponsored haircut, which was carried out by Jade Davies of JD Hair in Coleford, inside the shop in Market Place on Friday morning while supporters browsed the shop’s stock and enjoyed a slice of homemade cake.

The cake sale was run by volunteers Hayley Hayward and Margaret Pickles, and the shop also sold ‘Unity’ bands on the day to mark the occasion.

Following the successful fundraiser, Shop Manager Louise Cossey commented: “I would like to thank everyone who donated and supported Rainbow in raising an amazing £1560 to help fund vital research”.

Jade Davies cuts Rainbow Walker’s hair to raise money for Cancer Research UK
Rainbow loses her locks for charity (CRUK)

CRUK funds doctors, scientists and nurses across the country “to help beat cancer sooner”, with the charity’s “pioneering” work into how to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease having benefited millions of lives in the past 120 years.

The charity as we know it today came into being in 2002 following the merger of the two leading cancer research charities in the UK - the CRC, which was founded in 1923, and the ICRF, which CRUK is also celebrating the 120th anniversary of this year.

The 20th anniversary coincided with the Union for International Cancer Control’s World Cancer Day initiative, which aims to “mobilise the global community” against cancer.