Joanne braves the shave to support Macmillan Cancer Support

A Dunmanagh woman has raised £16,000 for a cancer charity by shaving off her beloved hair.

There was a great ‘buzz’ around Dunamanagh last weekend as Joanne Dougherty handed over a cheque to Macmillan Cancer Support UK.

Speaking of what inspired her to donate funds to the charity, the local lady said that the idea came to her in September whilst she was on holiday with her cousin.

“I was born in England but have lived in Dunamanagh most of my life,” Joanne explained.

“I have cousins over in Blackburn and one of them has sadly been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“We were in Benidorm in September and we were talking about it.

“Naturally, it’s an upsetting topic for him, however, he suggested shaving his head for charity, but I was carrying on with him saying that he didn’t have much hair to shave in the first place as he was somewhat bald to begin with,” she added.

“So I said I would shave my head and throughout the holiday I kept joking around with him about it.”

Upon returning from Benidorm, Joanne’s notion soon became a reality when her husband suggested organising a night in a bid to raise money for charity.

“My cousin’s birthday was on November 7, so we set a date in the Village Inn in Dunamanagh for the Saturday after that, so him and the family could come over and attend the night,” she reflected.

The night was a great success, with plenty of prizes donated for a raffle and auction and live music from Joanne’s son David.

“Money is still coming in,” said Joanne. “There are plenty of last-minute donations coming through and I am just honoured and gob-smacked.

“I cannot thank the community enough for their generosity.”

A large portion of the donations came from Joanne’s brother in law’s grandson, Thomas.

“Wee Thomas donated a lamb which was taken to the Dunamanagh market and it raised over £4,200.

“I can’t thank him enough – fair play to him!”

Joanne said that, overall, there are simply too many people to thank but she is hugely grateful and overwhelmed by the kindness shown throughout the community.

“It’s not often I’m lost for words,” she said. “I really am in shock.”