A Sheffield student is set to brave the shave this weekend to help raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support in a noble tribute to his late uncle.

Gordon Turnor, from Hampstead, London, will have his friends shave his head on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to raise a remarkable £500 for a cause close to his heart.

After losing his Uncle Roger to throat cancer, the 19-year-old is looking to help those in similar circumstances access the support they need.

Mr Turnor told ShefLive: “My uncle, Roger Mills, was very important to me. He had throat cancer for the majority of my life and he was a really, really great man.

“He also had lots of other family members that have unfortunately passed away early due to cancer.

“It’s so important to have end of life support and some people just don’t have access to that so raising money for them is so important. I just want to give as much as possible.”

The first-year physics student said he is looking forward to Sunday’s shave, describing it as a “fresh start” after nearly seven months without a haircut.

“As well as doing a good thing for charity, it’s also going to be quite funny and will bring people together.

“I’ve had quite a hard Christmas and the shift back to uni has been quite difficult so I think it’ll be quite good to have a completely fresh start, a complete reset.”

Macmillan’s Brave the Shave campaign launched in 2015 and has seen thousands of inspiring individuals shave their hair to raise money for people living with cancer. 

After the covid pandemic impacted funding, the charity is encouraging people to get involved, whether it be donating to other fundraisers or braving the shave yourself, with 100 per cent of the donations going directly to Macmillan.

“You need to give people support when it comes to cancer,” said Mr Turnor. “It’s such a hard thing for the families as well – my auntie has been living for 15 more years without Roger and it’s quite sad for her.”

The head shave is taking place at 2.00pm outside Lawrencefield Apartments in Endcliffe Village on Sunday, March 30, with local people being encouraged to go along and watch the haircut.

Donations can be taken on the day via cash or card and online here.