Charity Shave
A Catz student has shaved her head to raise money for underprivileged children in Bulgaria.
Second year student Tanya Palmer was sponsored £1050 by friends and family to swap her long locks for a grade one cut. The haircut took place in front of an audience in the Catz JCR. Various styles, including a Mohican, were cut before her hair was finally shaved off.
Tanya told The Oxstu: "I don't really know why I decided to shave my head but it was something I have always wondered about". She also thought that the change would be drastic enough to raise lots of money.
The money raised is going to the Chant Centre in Haskova, Bulgaria, which Tanya visited last summer through the charity Oxford Aid to the Balkans. The centre was set up five years ago by a local organisation in Bulgaria to help underprivileged children in the area, particularly Romany gipsies.
The Chant Centre currently helps 31 street children through the provision of showers, clothing and food. Tanya said that last year the simple gift of an ice cream to each child made them ecstatically happy.
Tanya will take the money with her when she returns to visit the centre with two friends this summer. She plans to spend a little of it before she goes out so that she can buy craft materials and t-shirts to decorate for the children, but will hand over the majority to the centre. She also hopes to raise more at her local church fete.
10th Jun 2004