The Big Chop – Raising Money for Little Princess Trust & TASC

The Big Chop is back... and my luscious locks are on borrowed time!

Back in 2019, I donated my hair to Little Princess Trust whilst raising money for MIND. I never imagined I'd be growing it all out again seven years later, but here we are. After setting myself a challenge on TikTok to reach 200 likes, I was genuinely surprised to see over 300 people support the idea of me losing my hair. I'm still not sure whether that's because people love a good cause or simply wanted to see me without my long hair!

I'm a man of my word, so the hair is coming off once again.

This time, I'm incredibly proud to be raising money for two charities that mean so much to me: Little Princess Trust and The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC). Every donation made through this fundraiser will be split equally between both charities.

Little Princess Trust provides real-hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or conditions such as alopecia. If my hair can help bring confidence, comfort and a smile to even one person, then every awkward "when are you getting your hair cut?" comment over the past few years has been worth it. Don't panic though, they won't get my greys!

I'm also raising money for TASC, which supports the mental, physical and financial well-being of ambulance staff across the UK. After spending several years working within the ambulance service, I was incredibly proud to qualify as a Newly Qualified Paramedic last November. Throughout my journey, I've seen firsthand just how important support can be.
I've sadly lost colleagues to suicide over the years and have also faced my own challenges with mental health. Knowing that charities such as TASC are there to support those who spend their lives caring for others means more to me than I can put into words.

This fundraiser is about much more than a haircut though.

On the 15th August, some of my amazing colleagues from my ambulance station will also be joining me to climb Snowdon to help raise money for these two incredible charities. I'm incredibly grateful for their support and can't wait to tackle the mountain together (although I may regret this decision halfway up!).

Now, onto the really ridiculous part...

The hair donation is happening regardless. That's non-negotiable. However, I never said I was going bald. The idea is absolutely horrifying, and I'd quite like to keep a small token of my hair...

That being said, this is for charity. So...

If we raise £10,000, reach 50,000 combined likes across my official TikTok and Instagram accounts on the video explaining this cause, AND I get one of my favourite artists (listed below) to tell me to do it, I will shave my head completely bald. No excuses, no backing out, no ifs or buts.

And if somehow we DOUBLE that to £20,000 AND 100,000 likes, I will shave absolutely everything off... except my eyebrows and my moustache.  (Something my barber's been desperate to achieve since I met him!) I will hate every second of this. You, however, will probably find it hilarious.

The video in question is: vm.tiktok.com/ZNRosRLFa/

Finally, I'd love for this fundraiser to become something we can all have a bit of fun with along the way. I'll be setting milestone challenges as we go, and I want YOU to decide some of them! Have an idea? Leave a comment on TikTok or Instagram and let's see what ridiculous (and hopefully charity-friendly!) challenges we can come up with together.

Whether you donate £1, share this page, or simply support the journey, thank you.

What started as a haircut has become something so much bigger than I ever expected, and I couldn't do it without all of your support.

Let's see just how much good we can do together.