Family duo from Long Sutton brave the shave to help friend in need

A father and daughter duo have braved the shave to help a friend and work colleague who has lost her hair through cancer treatment.

Mark Shipley, 51, and his daughter Chloe, 21, both of Long Sutton, have shed their locks to raise money to help Rachel Sargeant by a suitable wig after she lost her own hair while undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, after she was diagnosed with the disease last September.

All three work for Cambridgeshire police and are based in the call centre at the headquarters in Huntingdon.

Mark a call centre supervisor and Chloe a call handler faced the clippers on Wednesday (31) in front of colleagues, including Rachel who popped in to witness the event.

Keeping to social distance rules meant Chloe had her locks cut off by sister Alisha, while mum Sara wielded the clippers to shave Mark's head.

The pair have been fundraising through a special Paypal account for the past four weeks and have smashed their original £2,000 target by over £350.

Chloe, who has Rachel as her supervisor, explained the mum of one has been resilient throughout the chemotherapy and is now about to start radiotherapy.

Chloe said: "Rachel has been brilliant throughout but the one thing she was really dreading was losing her hair.

"The NHS only have a certain budget to provide a wig for patients and because of that there was nothing suitable for Rachel, as she was suffering with head pain as a result of her treatment, and nothing looked really natural.

"Having our heads shaved not only was a show of solidarity with Rachel but also helped raise money so she can get a suitable wig privately. On top of that I have donated my hair to the Little Princess Trust, which provides wigs for children with cancer and other illnesses that have cause hair loss.

"I must admit I was quite excited about having it done, until the first clip and then I wondered what it would look like. I am still getting used to it, but it's not that bad."

Mark said: “It’s humbling how many people have come together to support us and seeing the benefit from the money raised makes it all worthwhile.”