Man’s haircut raises nearly £3,500 in memory of father and lifelong friend who died of cancer

'my hair was my identitty!' said Pual Bedford, who cut his hair to raise money for a charity which supported a dear friend in their last moments

“My hair was my identity!”

55-year-old 55 year-old Paul Bedford always considered his long, curly hair a kind of identity:

“I’ve had plenty of stick for it. I’m well known in the Northern Soul scene and long hair isn’t really associated with that, but I’m a massive fan of anything 70s- so I decided I wanted to be a little bit different.”

So, when he decided to raise money for St Wilfrid’s hospice by getting his hair cut at Studio One hairdressers in Queensway- it seemed like a relatively big decision- and the public seemed to agree.

Mr Bedford had originally planned to raise around £1,000 for the cancer care charity but, with the support of the northern soul and scooter community, raised nearly £3,500.

It was an emotional journey for the former mod, who says he decided to raise the money in memory of his father and long time friend Eddie Stenner- both of whom were cared for by the hospice in the final weeks of their life.

“He was a terrific bloke,” Mr Bedford said. “He was one of these guys who was always positive.

“Eddie was a DJ, a music promoter- he’s into all sorts of genres of music, so he was known by a wide range of people. So a lot of (the success) is down to him.”

Even so, mr Bedford said he has been “overwhelmed by the support. The messages have been really, really lovely.”

To find out more about the fundraiser, click here.