An Armagh man who lost his mother to ovarian cancer earlier this year has raised over £5,000 for two charities in her memory after shaving off 10 years of hair.
Jede Mulholland, a 24-year-old Ulster Bank employee, raised over £3,000 for Marie Curie, alongside his sister, Saffron Mulholland, after his “one all over” on September 8, with the hair to be donated to the Little Princess Trust.
The siblings also raised £2,000 for Ulster Bank’s chosen charity – the NI Children’s Hospice. In September, Ulster Bank held one week of fundraising for the cause, including a coffee morning and Jede’s shave.
After their mother Beverley passed away due to cancer in January at the age of just 48, they decided to raise the money to honour her memory and support charities that were close to her heart.
Jede decided that if his mother could go through losing her hair, then he had no problem doing it too.
Writing on social media following the shave, Saffron said that the fundraising opportunity reflected a lot of “venerable emotions” as she talked with those who shared how much of an incredible woman her mum was.
She said: “In reflection, it took strength and commitment, to remember why I wanted to take part and give back to those who helped my mum during her illness.
“I focused on the digital/technical side of promoting this event. With encouragement from my family and community I was able to successfully create a poster to place in our local community shop, create a GoFundMe and share our progress on Facebook and other social platforms.”
Added Saffron: “We managed to raise over £3,000 for Marie Curie and over £2,000 in Ulster Bank Armagh for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.
“This was very close to my heart as Marie Curie helped our mum throughout her illness. I would like to thank everyone at Marie Curie UK for their support to my family during that time.”
Read more: Armagh man who lost mum to cancer at 48 shaving 10 years worth of hair for charity
