Hays Travel agent raises £3,000+ for Mind with sponsored head shave

A Hays Travel branch manager has raised more than £3,000 for mental health charity Mind with a sponsored head shave.

Sally Hurley, from the Hemel Hempstead branch, was diagnosed with the rare skin condition pityriasis rubra pilaris last October.

The condition is so rare that there are only 297 known cases in the UK. One of the main symptoms is hair loss, which Sally has been experiencing.

The symptoms can be so debilitating that 68% of sufferers require mental health support, so Sally decided to shave her head to raise money for Mind.

The event took place at Hays Travel in The Marlowes Centre and was live streamed on Facebook. It raised £3,204, 320% more than the original target.

The Hays Travel team organised a day of fundraising, inviting loved ones, customers and the community to take part in the fun and witness Sally’s head shave.

Sally said: “Because the condition is so rare, there hasn’t been much research and it can be quite debilitating for people.

“Mental health support is so important, so I thought what better way to get rid of the hair I was losing anyway and raise money for Mind at the same time.

“My team have been so incredibly supportive – they’ve been there for me, especially on my bad days when I could have hit rock bottom. Coming into work every day has been a great way to keep my mind off things.”

Leon Bruff, Mind supporter relations coordinator, said: “We wanted to say a massive thank you to you and everyone at Hays Travel (Hemel Hempstead) for supporting Mind.

“Your support means we can reach more people every day. Nobody should face a mental health problem alone, and it’s because of kind donations like yours that Mind can be here for everyone who needs support.”

Each Hays Travel branch is provided with a £500 budget to use for fundraising and charity work in their local area; £200 of this is to be used to fundraise for charities which support young people’s mental health, and the other £300 can be used for charities chosen by the branch.

In the last year, Hays Travel’s Local Community Partnership initiative across its retail network has donated more than £177,000 to local charities.