Alan's brother Mark going red for babies charity Tommy's

Mark Wheatley writes:

Hi,

[On Saturday 4th of July], my friend James Clark and I are going to get ‘Shorn On the 4th July‘ for Tommy’s - a charity which helps to save babies lives ( www.tommys.org ).

James is going to sacrifice his marvellous beard and I am going to lose the ‘mop top’ which grew through lockdown via a full head shave from my twelve year old daughter. 

To add a little to my humiliation, my daughter - whose views on the world are more progressive than mine - also suggested dyeing the hair beforehand. 

So, at the moment I am Red (as you can see below). 

As you might imagine, this is an unusual feeling - possibly as surprising and unsettling for some of you as it is for me (sorry LibDems, I tried for Gold but lost that vote).

Might you ease my discomfort and help a good cause?

My target is looking achievable but if I can get to, or surpass, £1,250 there is the possibility of a full match funding of that amount to really deliver a good result for Tommy’s.
All donations are going to a great cause and will be massively appreciated!
My fundraising page is: https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.justgiving.com%2Ffundraising%2Fmark-wheatley13%3Futm_source%3DSharethis%26utm_medium%3Dfundraising%26utm_content%3Dmark-wheatley13%26utm_campaign%3Dpfp-email%26utm_term%3D8f975ad9a6d94dd9899e1199eb5f7eab&data=01%7C01%7C%7C7912462334e24c630c9608d81f423776%7C9fe658cdb3cd405685193222ffa96be8%7C1&sdata=7t1zHNWWysjELqfBiu4XRo0uUXtaCDURZ%2BHW3VBxv0c%3D&reserved=0.
I hope that you enjoy the rest of the day and a lovely weekend.
Thank you for considering this approach and very best wishes, in solidarity,
Mark Wheatley

Alan wishes Mark — and Tommy's — all the best through his encounter with Miri Scissors Hands.

Mark Wheatley — Shorn on the 4th of July, fundraising for babies' charity Tommy's

A word from my [half-]brother, Mark Wheatley, based in SE London, who is about twelve-and-a-half years younger than me and shares the same father:

Shorn on the 4th July

Hi,

I hope that you are enjoying the day and coping well in these strange times. 

My friends at the baby charity, Tommy’s (www.tommys.org) have allowed me the honour and humiliation, along with my pal James, of trialling an idea. Having respectively let our mop of hair/beard grow a bit wild during lockdown,  We have volunteered to get shaved. 

That means, on the 4th July, my twelve year old daughter will hone her, thus far untested, abilities as a hairdresser. 

Early on, she is going to dye my hair (colour suggestions are welcome - keenest on yellow, blue, red or green), take me out for a long walk, photograph the embarrassment for posterity then .... shave my head.

If you feel able and willing, I’d really appreciate your support. 

This is not a marathon effort of course but it will be suitably humiliating and anything you are able to donate will go to a great charity - one which saves babies lives across the world from their base in the City of London.

You can donate to my JustGiving page by clicking here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-wheatley13?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=mark-wheatley13&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=280a9c3bfbdd4290877c8b39922b4093.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to Tommy's, the baby charity, so it's the most efficient way to give - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you for considering this request (positively - my last sponsorship activity this year).

Very best wishes, as ever,

Mark 

P.S. if you know anyone who fancies joining me and James - new team members are most welcome.

How Mark's normal hairline will appear after 4 July 2020 remains to be seen. Our father's hairline in his 50s was less than Mark's without the aid of having hair shaved off for charity. You can see how my hairline appears these days in the sidebar of this Web Log.

Our father was a keen cricketer; I was in childhood but only played for the school 11 once. In adulthood, my physical activities largely revolve around walking an occasional Kundalini Yoga when Belmont Community Centre is open, with Alison Mann who runs classes now on Zoom.

More like our father, Mark loves rugby and has run the London Marathon and Half Marathon in previous years in very decent time for Tommy's


Alan Wheatley