Rhian Harrison is one of the amazing individuals who took part in some fundraising for Alopecia UK in 2023. We asked her to tell us more about her fundraising efforts..

Rhian, what inspired you to fundraise for Alopecia UK?

My son came home from school upset so I asked him what was wrong. He told me his best mate at school was sad as he was losing his hair at the time. I didn’t know he had alopecia, so I reassured him that I was sure it would grow back. I then spoke to his friend's mum and then she told me that her son, James, had alopecia areata. I knew a few people who have had the condition in the past, and I also know that there is not as much awareness about the condition as there could be. 

Why did you decide to shave your head as a way to raise funds?

I wanted to get my hair cut for a while before I did the shave. After seeing how upset James was about losing his hair, and after talking to James' mum, I chatted to James. I explained to him that hair is just hair and it is not what makes a person. It is what is on the inside of the person that makes them who they are. I wanted to do something more to demonstrate this to James. So I started a fundraising page for a sponsored head shave. 

How much did you raise, and how do you feel looking back on what you have achieved?

I started with a target of £500 but I hit that within a few days! So I upped it to £1,000 and we smashed that as well. I increased my target to £1,500 and my grand total ended up being £1,526. I am still shocked about this today, that we managed to raise such a large amount for this small charity. Alopecia UK is such a good cause, and never in my dreams did I think I would get that amount, just for little old me! 

A HUGE thank you to Rhian for her generous gesture and for raising such an incredible total for Alopecia UK.

We cannot continue our work without the support of fundraisers like Rhian. If you are inspired to do some fundraising for us in 2024, please check out our fundraising pages here, or email [email protected] if you need any advice.