Bognor man 'absolutely blown away' after head shave fundraiser for St Richard's Hospital smashes target

A charitable Bognor man has raised more than £1,300 to help staff at St Richard's Hospital combat the coronavirus — and he wants other men to join him in shaving their head.
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Oli Hicklin set a target of £100 when considering whether to shave his head for charity but, after reaching that total within minutes, he is now on more than ten times that amount.

He said: "I wanted to raise £100 for the amazing staff at St Richards Hospital, so that they refuel on us as a thank you.

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"We are all so grateful for what the NHS do for us 365 days a year and of course especially now. I thought this would be nice way of thanking them and showing our appreciation for all of them.

Oli is now hoping to start a trend and asked other men to follow suit in shaving their head to support other key workersOli is now hoping to start a trend and asked other men to follow suit in shaving their head to support other key workers
Oli is now hoping to start a trend and asked other men to follow suit in shaving their head to support other key workers

"A friend suggested I put some money behind their canteen and the rest is history."

After asking his wife 'if she would mind', Oli stuck to his word and shaved his hair off. The first £1,200 was delivered to the hospital on Friday (April 3).

"I know a couple of nurses there and they are going to make sure that everyone is catered for," Oli said. "They will all have a free drink, snack and a bit of lunch.

"Everyone at St Richard's will hopefully have something.

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"It's giving people something to smile about in these times. I think the NHS do an amazing job all year round. I've always been a massive supporter of them but especially so now."

On beating his fundraising target, he added: "I am absolutely blown away. I thought I might raise a couple of hundred quid at most so it's great."

Oli is now hoping to start a trend and asked other men to follow suit to support other key workers.

He added: "All men are at home not having to cut their hair so let's get everyone doing it and stick some money out there.

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"I am thankful to everyone and would love to do something for everyone. I'm sure people will do different things for other key workers."

To donate, visit Oli's GoFundMe page.

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