A trainee pharmacy technician has shaved her blue hair off to raise money for cancer support services. 

Middlesbrough based Sam Smith, 34, joked in the summer about shaving her hair off due to the heat and after a colleague offered her £5 to do so, Smith decided to do the shave for charity. 

Read more: Pharmacist charity launch new fundraising campaign 

“Shaving my head was something in the back of my mind that I always thought I’d like to do one day,” Smith says. 

“Most people at some point will be / have been directly or indirectly affected by cancer, so if we can do something to help support people or make things easier even in a small way then why the heck not? It's only hair!” 

Uncle Fester tribute 

Smith works at the University Hospital of North Tees and is attempting to raise £500 for the cancer information centre at the hospital, alongside £300 for Macmillan Cancer Support too. 

“We’ve sadly lost some of our colleagues in the department to cancer over the last few years, including a friend this year,” Smith says. 

@nteeshpoolnhsft Pharmacy worker Sam Smith braves the shave to raise funds for our cancer information centre and @Macmillan Cancer Support 💙 #Cancer #MacmillanCancerSupport #NHS #Charity #BraveTheShave #Stockton ♬ Supersonic - Oasis

“It’s had a big impact on the pharmacy team,” she added, and admitted as the shave day approached, she was “getting nervous” and was “starting to think ‘What am I doing?’”. 

She has raised £750 so far in total and has gone “full on Uncle Fester” now, likening her new bald looks to The Addams Family character. 

Read more: Pharmacist raises £1.5k in memory of her father 

The money Smith is raising for the hospital’s cancer information centre is being allocated to purchase headwear for cancer patients under North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust care. 

“It doesn’t feel like my head right now but it’s very liberating. Thank you to everybody who has donated – you’ve made it all worth it.” 

Read more: A group of influential pharmacists travel overseas for charity 

You can donate to Sam’s fundraiser for the cancer information centre at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust on her JustGiving page. 

And you can donate to her Cancer Macmillan Support fundraiser on the Macmillan website.