WHETHER you’re running 5k and donating £5, supporting Captain Tom Moore’s NHS Walk or holding your own fundraiser, one thing is clear – these difficult times have brought out the charitable side of many of us.
That’s certainly the case for Ellen, the daughter of ‘Joinery Legend’ Dave Yates, who is a Programme Tutor in Occupations for Wood and Plastering at Oldham College.
Ellen has just raised money for national foodbank charity The Trussell Trust by giving her Dad a ‘special haircut’…using horse trimmers!
Egged on by friends and family to let 11-year-old Ellen ‘clip’ his hair with her new horse clippers, Dave finally gave in to the demands on lockdown. The pair hoped to stirrup some interest and raise a modest £50-£100 for the Trust.
Unbridled joy
“AS I SAT down, my daughter stated that she would rather practise on me – as she didn’t want to hurt the pony!”, says Dave. And the horse-ing around didn’t stop there…
Half way through Ellen pretended to run out of battery power – and stall.
“She must get her sense of humour from her mother – oh, how we all laughed!”, says Dave.
Halfway through, a bowl was also brought out as a tribute to Dave’s own mother’s haircutting exploits of the 1970s.
ONCE ELLEN had finished, Dave posted the video on Facebook with a link to the Trussell Trust asking for donations from family and friends.
Within three hours, they had smashed their £50-£100 target and were up to £600.
Just one week later, Dave and Ellen have now raised more than £1,000: so, no long faces then.
The pair say they’re humbled by everyone’s generosity during difficult times, and would like to send a massive ‘thank you’ to all who have donated.
Well, Dave jokes that he is now putting Ellen’s name down to do a Hair & Beauty course at Oldham College.
And he also has one last piece of reassuring news for his work colleagues. “Don’t worry”, he says. “I’m still the best looking guy in the Construction department!”
