Tara has a great hair day with her charity cut-a-thon

Her salon, It’s Platinum Not Grey Ltd, was recently voted the best salon in Swindon. Now Tara Hilton has another achievement to be proud of: cutting client’s hair non-stop for 12 hours and raising over £800 in aid of Prospect Hospice.

Already a seasoned fundraiser, supporting Headway and Dementia UK, Tara decided to do something for the hospice when her partner’s uncle, Richard Browne, was admitted to Prospect Hospice in December 2016. “Everyone knew him as uncle Rich,” she said. “I just wanted to do something for Prospect Hospice because of what they did for him before he passed away peacefully.”

“My sister, Caroline, and brother-in-law, Steve, were his primary carers because he had no children of his own, and he was like a second dad to us,” explained Tara’s partner, Paul Browne. “I was working away a lot so Tara did what she could for Uncle Rich, such as taking him to GP and hospital appointments, but he needed palliative care to make him more comfortable, so Caroline and Steve contacted the Great Western Hospital who contacted Prospect Hospice. The work that the hospice did was astronomical – not just the care, but the support network they provided.”

For her cut-a-thon event, Tara set up a Just Giving donation page a month before and asked all her clients if they would like to donate. She also organised a raffle and encouraged local businesses to contribute towards it. “They were brilliant, everyone we approached in Swindon was willing to help,” she said. There was a wine shop in Tetbury that we just happened to pop in to and we got chatting for about a good hour and a half, and by the end of it they donated a magnum sized bottle of wine!”

On the day, Tara cut hair for around 30 people while proudly wore a t-shirt with Uncle Rich’s photograph on the front of it. “People were so generous – one lady paid £50 for a blow dry! I even managed to do some colours, which I wasn’t going to do, but it helped to boost the total amount raised, and my beautician was working that day so her money also went towards the hospice.”

She started at 7.45am and finished at around 8.15pm, without taking a single break. “One of my cousins, Charlotte Whitbread, came in and made sure I had food to eat and water to drink so I didn’t get dehydrated,” she said. “She also sorted out the bills for me so I could carry on cutting hair – Paul and I were really grateful to her for ensuring the day ran smoothly. I was tired and it was hard work but it was massively worth it.”

After the success of the cut-a-thon, Tara is keen to do more for Prospect Hospice. “I want to support them every year, but change it up and do something different each time. My next goal is to raise £1,000, either by doing another cut-a-thon or jumping out of a plane – I haven’t decided yet.”

Paul added: “Tara did a fantastic job and I’d like to say a big thank you to her for doing what she did, and to everyone who donated and had their hair cut for charity – in the world that we live in at the moment, it’s nice to see so many people caring and giving.”

Community fundraiser, Hollie Ricketts, said: “On behalf of Prospect Hospice I would like to thank Tara for her hard work and effort – as much as it was an event it was also very much a personal challenge to stand up for 12 hours and provide continuous haircuts and treatments. Thank you also to Tara’s family, friends and everyone in the local community who supported this event, either with sponsorship, raffle donations or by having their hair cut. You have all helped to raise a fantastic amount for the hospice.”

Tara and Paul would also like to thank the following businesses who supported the cut-a-thon by donating raffle prizes:

Waitrose

Carluccio’s

Mario’s

Bardolino’s-Marco Pierre White

Blues cafe

Vinotopia

SNES

Auto Engine Tune

GypsyCaz

Pixal Rose Hair

Mbros

Tesco

Pictured with the cheque, left to right: Paul Browne, Tara Hilton, and Tara’s daughter, Emmie Scarlett.