A DROITWICH man is rocking his own Christmas tree – shaved into his chest – to raise funds in memory of a friend.
Richard Padley will keep the design throughout December to collect cash for Se7en Signs Of Hope created after the passing of Mike Jelfs.
Mike was a prison officer at HMP Hewell and died in December 2018 after a brave battle with the aggressive Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML).
The charity aims to raise funds to help make families’ lives easier when they are learning to cope with diagnosis and undergoing treatment.
It is also currently collecting brand new toys to donate to children having to spend Christmas in hospital due to their illness.
Richard previously raised £1,200 for the charity by running the Bristol Half Marathon and this year, with restrictions in place, wondered what he could do.
He said: “I decided to shave a Christmas tree into my chest for the month of December and see how many donations I could get to put towards Se7en Signs of Hope in memory of Mike.
“Anyone who knows me knows I’m crazy with my sense of humour and am always up for doing things for a good cause and making people smile and laugh in the process.”
His ‘branching out’ idea was shared on his Facebook page with friends and family and at work his boss approved and allowed him to collect sponsorship.
He also raffled off one of his treasured Pokemon cards which sold for £100 for the cause.
He will now see how much he has raised on December 31, posting his figure on the Se7en Signs of Hope website.
Visit se7ensignsofhope.org.uk for more on the charity.
