Trio brave head shave to raise money and awareness for Parkinson's
Three people have had their heads shaved at a market in the Black Country to raise money for Parkinson's UK – in memory of a much-loved man.
Elijah Chamberlain-Page, his girlfriend Jess Howells and twin Finn all took to Brierley Hill Market on Saturday to get their long locks shaved off.
It saw around £1,200 raised for the national research and support charity which was chosen due to Roger, grandfather to the twins, having had the disease.
He passed away earlier this year aged 80 and had been battling Parkinson's which led to him deteriorating and "made it a struggle" for him to do things.
Elijah said: "So we had a lot of hair and we wanted to do something for mine and Finn's grandfather, Roger – he passed away over the summer.
"It was in memory of him and my twin brother decided to join me, and my girlfriend did as well. Parkinson's deteriorates your body, so he used to come over and see us every Saturday and he was a really lovely man. But when Covid-19 came, he deteriorated (with Parkinson's) and made it a struggle for him to do things.
"So we wanted to raise awareness of this – with the aim of preventing this from happening for other families. Parkinson's is a really horrible thing that a lot of people suffer from, and it's almost forgotten about in terms of other things like cancer. We forget how severe Parkinson's can be."
The three 20-year-olds decided to get their locks chopped on Brierley Hill Market – a place their grandfather enjoyed visiting – by a barber known as Winston, who offered up his services for free.
Elijah, who lives in Church Street along with Finn, whilst Jess lives in Amblecote, added: "I felt a lot lighter, for sure, and much much colder. But ultimately, it's a big change and especially for Jess – she was probably the bravest out of all of us, it's different when you're a woman, but we've had a lot of complements to say that we don't look too bad.
"Brierley Hill market is a place my grandad loved when he visited on Saturdays, he had a big breakfast and enjoyed a look around – so it's quite special for all of us."
To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/elijah-chamberlain-page
