Shop manager shaves head for cancer charities in memory of sister who died aged 17

"The wind over my head is a bit weird, but it's worth it for the charity's I did this for."

A Wolverhampton shop manager has honoured her sister's memory by having her head shaved to raise funds for cancer and leukaemia charities.

Alexis Yates braved the shave outside Martin's Newsagents in Pendeford on Saturday, April 17 in support of Cancer Research and Cure Leukaemia, a disease her family had been affected by.

The 36-year-old said: "I had thought about doing this for a while, because my little sister Jade died of leukaemia 11 years ago when she was 17 and she looked amazing when she shaved all her hair off.

"I thought I'd like to do it to raise money for those charities as a lot of people have been passing away with cancer.

"It's taking myself out of my comfort zone, but it wasn't a burden to shave my hair off as I'm not a typical girl and it was getting to the point where it was annoying me anyway."

The head shaving was attended by a socially distanced crowd of well wishers, including friends, families and customers of the shop.

Mrs Yates said he had wanted to raise around £1,000, but had already raised more than £2,000, with another £130 donated in a bucket left in the shop.

She said: "We had quite a few people turn out for it, so it was a bit more embarrassing, but it had to be done and it was really nice to have the support.

"It felt a bit weird holding my hair in my hands and a bit chilly blowing through my ear lobe, but I would definitely consider doing it again."

To find out more about the fundraising challenge and to make a donation, go to Alexis' JustGiving page.