A North Yorkshire councillor has broken national records by raising more than £17,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support after having his head and beard shaved.
Councillor Arnold Warneken, who represents the Ouseburn division on North Yorkshire Council, took part in a Brave the Shave fundraiser at Tockwith Show at the weekend after his wife, Alex, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.
The appeal has now reached £17,130, including £825 raised at the show, with Macmillan telling Cllr Warneken it is the highest amount ever raised by someone taking part in the national challenge.
“I’m really impressed with the way the community has responded,” he said.
“The people at Tockwith Show were amazing. It was a really great atmosphere.”
Following the shave, Cllr Warneken was given a lap of honour around the showground.
“Afterwards they took me around the perimeter of the show in a cart pulled by these two Clydesdale horses – everyone was cheering and waving and I felt like royalty.”
He said he had received plenty of positive comments about his new clean-shaven look, with several people telling him he looked younger.
However, losing his trademark beard also created an unexpected problem when he returned to County Hall in Northallerton, where reception staff failed to recognise the long-serving community leader.
The councillor is also unsure what to do when he is asked to take up his annual role playing Father Christmas later this year.
The pair, from Cowthorpe near Tockwith, have run Goosemoor Organics, Yorkshire’s first organic vegetable box scheme, for more than 30 years and have long supported Tockwith Show, sponsoring the Charlotte Memorial Trophy for the best ridden coloured horse for the past two decades.
The Big Shave took place in the show’s main ring, with local hairdresser Fiona from Tocklocks Hairdressers carrying out the shave in front of spectators.
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