Hartlepool teacher braves the shave

Ben Holden head shave at High Tunstall College of Science in aid of Macmillan.
Picture by Jane Coltman — Ben Holden head shave at High Tunstall College of Science in aid of Macmillan. Picture by Jane Coltman

Ben Holden, the sports science faculty leader at High Tunstall College of Science on Elwick Road, shaved off his long locks in front of a crowd of pupils to raise cash for cancer charity Macmillan.

The 31-year-old decided to take the plunge after losing his father, Jack Holden, to bone and lung cancer.

Ben Holden head shave at High Tunstall College of Science in aid of Macmillan.
The barber was his best friend and fellow teacher Ben Wainright who is leaving the school after 9 years.
Picture by Jane Coltman — Ben Holden head shave at High Tunstall College of Science in aid of Macmillan. The barber was his best friend and fellow teacher Ben Wainright who is leaving the school after 9 years. Picture by Jane Coltman

Mr Holden said Macmillan was a cause close to his heart after the charity helped to care for his father.

He said: “I had seen all the adverts about Macmillan’s Brave the Shave campaign on TV and thought as I had been due a haircut for a while, I should go for it.

“I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it and nor way my wife Fiona, but it was a great way to raise funds for Macmillan.

“My dad passed away from cancer in 2007 aged just 67, so I thought this was a good thing to do to raise some funds.”

Mr Holden, who has been at the school eight years, sat in the yard in front of the whole school, while his colleague Ben Wainwright shaved off all of his hair.

He has now raised over £600 of his £1,000 target for his efforts though donations on his online fundraising page.

The dad-of-one added: “My colleague Ben shaved off my hair on what was his last day at the school before he moved to Yorkshire to work at a school there, so that was a nice touch.

“The kids were really excited about it and all helped to raise money through donations.

“But now it is the six weeks off I am hoping it will grow back into something more respectable!

“As the sports science leader at the school I have done a lot of fundrasing for the charity in the past, through 5k runs and things, but this is the first time I have ever done anything like this.”

Macmillan is a registered charity which provides care and support for people living with cancer as well as their carers and family members.

The charity relies on donations to continue its vital services through events, such as Brave the Shave, which has seen 12,998 people have braved the shave so far this year, raising an impressive total of £1,087,250.21 for the charity.

To donate to Mr Holden’s cause and for more information on the event and the charity itself, visit: https://bravetheshave.org.uk/shavers/ben-holden/

Or visit: https://bravetheshave.org.uk/