STAFF at a Darfield care home raised more than £3,000 for Barnsley Hospice by ‘embracing the beard’ for 21 days.
Male carers at Thornhill House, on Church Street, were inspired to raise funds for the hospice after seeing its appeal for funds following the coronavirus lockdown.
Christian Whiteley-Mason, the care home manager, and his male colleagues all grew beards and arranged several entertainment shows including a bearded drag show to encourage donations.
He said: “We saw Barnsley Hospice’s appeal for more funds and knew we had to show our support.
“We were thinking of ways to raise money and boost morale for our residents, and thought that a bearded drag show would be a fun way to do this.
“Myself and my colleagues challenged ourselves not to shave for the entire month and set an initial target of £500.
“Through the support of local pharmacies, GPs, businesses and amazing families, we ended up raising £3,070 for the hospice.
“It’s a charity close to a lot of residents so it was a real honour to help support our community in any way we can.
“I, for one, intend to keep my beard as I’ve become quite fond of it. The same can’t be said for a few of my other colleagues.
“I want to thank everyone for their donations and support during this tough time.”
A spokesman from Barnsley Hospice added: “We would like to say a very big thank you to our friends at Thornhill House care home for their amazing fundraising efforts and raising £3,070 for our charity.
“Thank you so much for all your hard work and to everyone who gave so generously to support their efforts.”
