Billy braves the shave for charity

Billy Chambers, aged 9, whose mum Cheryl’s family come from Conisbrough, raised a total of £1,541 from a sponsored head shave on Thursday 24 August, to be split equally between St John’s Hospice in Balby, who cared for close family friend Shaun Hughes in his final few days, and the Chatsfield Suite at Doncaster Royal Infirmary (DRI), where his Nanny Samantha Stevens is currently receiving treatment.

Cheryl said: “Thank you to everyone for supporting Billy, we really appreciate it – I’m so proud of him for raising so much money!”

She added: “My mum Sam is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment in the Chatsfield Suite, and my best friend Kelly Hughes-Mallett’s dad Shaun was cared for by St John’s Hospice in the best way possible, so we wanted to do something to say thank you for looking after them so well.”

Billy had the idea to shave his hair after having a video call with his Nanny Sam and noticing her hair loss, so Cheryl set up the fundraising page with the hope of raising £500, but as news got around, friends and family pledged their support and smashed the target three times over.

Billy said: “Thank you to everyone who sponsored me and for sending me so many nice messages, we never expected to raise so much money.”

Billy and Cheryl are now looking forward to seeing Nanny Sam ‘ring the bell’ when she completes her chemotherapy treatment next week.

St John’s Hospice Fundraiser Tracey Gaughan said: “What a lovely gesture from such a kind young man!

“On behalf of all of everyone at St John’s Hospice, I’d like to say a massive thank you to Billy for supporting us.”

Lead Chemotherapy Nurse at DRI’s Chatsfield Suite Lara Cunnane-Reay said: “We are so grateful for this kind and brave fundraising effort and well done to Billy for his courage in doing this!

“All monies raised to our charity go towards improving patient comfort and experience, which will help people like Billy’s Nanny in the future.”

St John’s Hospice is run by Rotherham Doncaster & South Humber NHS Trust (RDaSH). For more information on how to support St John’s Hospice, please visit: www.stjohnshospicedoncaster.co.uk