Northampton shoemaker grew hair for entire year and raised nearly £3,000 to help the homeless

A Northampton shoemaker grew his hair for an entire year and raised nearly £3,000 to help the homeless.

John Humphries, 59, works at Crockett & Jones in Perry Street and was able to raise thousands of pounds with the support of his colleagues.

He was inspired to take on the fundraiser last November by two women who also work in the factory, but volunteer for Tuesday Night Team (TNT) – an organisation that offers support to homeless individuals every Tuesday evening.

John attended a few TNT evenings to see what it was all about for himself, and was taken aback by the food, clothing and emotional support they provide so many people with each week.

After seeing the 40-to-50 people who benefitted from the work of TNT at each session, John decided to start his unique fundraiser and grow his hair for a year in aid of the organisation.

The 59-year-old raised a total of £2,970 when his challenge ended in November this year.

John said: “TNT was overjoyed with the amount raised and I was sent a thank you card. I felt supported by them all the way through my challenge.”

He was also gifted a keyring with ‘never underestimate the difference you made and the lives you touched’ written across it, which John was touched by.

“This money will make a hell of a difference,” John added. “It’s hard to believe they run on donations and volunteer work only.”

The total John reached was thanks to the support of his colleagues at Crockett & Jones, and he sent out a thank you note for everyone’s generosity.

“I was really surprised about the amount of donations from just one factory,” he said. “I was overjoyed.”

John has had short hair since he can remember and as it grew longer over the year, it began to itch and he resorted to getting a perm to keep it under control for the last three months.

Now the challenge is over, the shoemaker has grown to like his longer hair and plans to keep it longer than usual for the winter.