Yorkshire headteacher shaves his hair off in support of pupil with brain tumour
Chris Stewart, the headteacher at Hallam Primary School in Sheffield admitted he had never shaved his head before, but that the immense support he received from the school and parents pushed him.
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Hide AdHe said: “I have to admit that I’m a bit of a poser so I spend a lot of time ‘doing’ my hair, so this was a big step for me!
“I’ve never had a head shave before so I felt incredibly nervous, but having the support of my family and the children, staff and parents at Hallam Primary was a real bonus.”
Mr Stewart’s head shaving challenge, which took place on January 19, was part of his effort to raise funds for Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where one of his pupils is currently undergoing treatment for brain tumour.
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Hide Ad"One of our pupils is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital that is likely to lead to him losing his hair and I am shaving my hair to support him,” he said.
"Secondly, the hospital has provided excellent care for many of our pupils and families including my own two children - care I am personally very grateful for.”
On the big day, the older children gathered in the hall to watch and a live feed was run to the other classrooms so no one missed out. It was also streamed online after a request by some of the parents.
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Hide AdMr Stewart said: “Adam Mir from Arnold & Co barbers came to school to shave my head and he was great. He shaved a wide parting right down the middle of my head and the children’s faces went from absolute horror to great hilarity.
“There was no mirror so I could only go on their faces, but it was shocking when I saw it for myself. It’s not my finest look by a long stretch but, pardon the pun, it’s growing on me!”
The Children’s Hospital Charity said Mr Stewart’s head shave has raised an amazing over £4,000 to transform the Cancer and Leukaemia ward at the children’s hospital.
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Hide AdMr Stewart added: “I’ve genuinely been blown away by the support. Parents, children, colleagues as well as friends and family have been so very generous and I’m incredibly grateful to every single person who has either donated or given me very kind words of encouragement.
"We have spoken to the children a lot this year about kindness and supporting each other and I hope that, by having my head shaved, I’ve led by example.
“The total, for such an important and valuable cause, has surpassed every expectation that I had. It’s more than the money though, the kind words and generous comments from many parents and children have been really humbling. Knowing this may inspire them in the future makes me very proud.”
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Hide AdHis action drew praise on social media, where one person wrote: “What a very thoughtful, kind gesture to make. You should be proud of yourself. Hope the student will be okay. It seems that they have plenty of support which is going to be a massive help.”
Those who would like to support Mr Stewart’s fundraising campaign, can donate here.