Since launching our new Body Image Project we’ve had so many incredible folks reach out to us to get involved with fundraising. Including the very awesome Oliver, who let us know he’d be cutting off his very long hair he’s been growing for years and raising money for us in the process! What a legend!

We had a little chat with him after he debuted his new doo! Check it out below!

Hi Oliver! Thanks so much for doing this and for getting involved in fundraising for HATW! Tell us a little bit about yourself!

My name is Oliver, I’m 25 and originally from Merthyr Tydfil. I studied contemporary music performance at USW in Cardiff and I currently work as a shift leader in Tesco. I started to grow my hair about 10 years ago and had minimal hair cuts up until the shave.

How did you first come across HATW?

I first heard about HATW when a friend saw the stall you had at Merthyr Rocks. I have also encountered you guys many times from Junior gigs, Team Up nights and the shop.

What does HATW mean to you?

HATW is a great thing which has always been important to raise awareness of mental health and provide help to those that need it. The recent pandemic has only emphasised the importance of everything that you do.

What inspired you to fundraise for us?

People have asked me multiple times over the years “how much would I have to pay you for you to cut your hair”, and I could never put a number to it. I decided to make them put their money where their mouths are and raise some money, you were the first people I thought of.

How do you feel about the (massive) amount of support you received from people for doing this?

I am speechless with all the support I’ve had, I had no idea whether I would even hit my initial target, but that was passed within an hour and the number kept on rising. I can’t thank everyone enough!

What a dude! If you’d like to get involved and know more about fundraising for us click here for more info! Or if you’d like to simply donate to our project you can do so here!

And if you’d like to find out what’s going on with our new Body Image project check us out here!