A 20-YEAR-OLD braved the shave cutting all of her hair off to raise £500 for a cancer charity.

Olivia Yates has spent years seeing family members battle cancer, some of them with terminal diagnoses. After her grandma received the news that she had a terminal condition, Olivia decided to take action to make sure patients get as much support as possible.

Olivia, from Radcliffe, said: “It’s something that goes quite deep in the family. My grandma was diagnosed with bone cancer around two years ago and is now end of life. My mum was a single mum so my Nana was my second parent, it feels like much more than losing a grandparent. My aunty was also diagnosed with the same type of cancer. They’re both terminally ill.

“Then my partner’s grandma was diagnosed with brain cancer, we lost her quite abruptly.”

The mental health support worker partnered with Macmillan Cancer Support. She decided to shave her head as part of the charity’s Brave The Shave campaign.

She said: “The charity does amazing work and I had been toying with the idea for a couple of years. When my grandma found out she was terminal, it was not something I felt scared of anymore. It was something I needed to do. I thought about all the people who have have dealt or are dealing with cancer — they did not get the choice to lose their hair. It was an easy decision for me to do this.”

The moment arrived on New Year’s Eve and Olivia sat down at Geezers barbers in Radcliffe for the shave. Olivia said: “It was an odd feeling!I was really excited, I had a lot of adrenaline. I was thinking about my grandma.”

Olivia’s hair was donated so it can be made into wigs for those who have lost their hair through treatment. Donations can be made at bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/olivia-yates.