Newark fundraiser held in of nephew’s memory and in aid of the Little Princess Trust

A loving uncle plans to raise money by shaving his head in memory of his young nephew.

Marcus Andrews’ two-year-old nephew, Samuel, died in 2017 after being diagnosed with croup.

For the past two years, his dad, Robert Andrews, has organised a Sensational Sounds for Samuel concert at his pub, The Grove, Balderton.

Each year, they have raised £1,500 for the Children’s Bereavement Centre, Newark, which helps youngsters affected by bereavement or terminal illness.

This year, because of coronavirus, the usual fundraising efforts couldn’t take place so Marcus decided to do something else in Samuel’s memory.

He is planning a sponsored head shave for the bereavement centre and will donate 20ins of his hair to the Little Princess Trust, which provides real hair wigs to sick children.

Marcus, of Grantham, said: “It was a very sudden death. Samuel was diagnosed with croup at the hospital and the next day he stopped breathing.

“He died on February 17 and that’s why we honour that day each year.

“In the post mortem they weren’t 100% sure what had caused his death. It was suspected to be sepsis but it that was never confirmed.

The Children’s Bereavement Centre helped Samuel’s older brother cope with the loss, which is why the family chose to support it.

Marcus said: “I’ve had long hair for a while ­— it’s currently past shoulder length at the moment, about 20ins. Coming up to the day I wanted to honour Samuel’s memory and the easiest way to do that in the current conditions was to donate my hair.

“I thought it would be a great way raise money in memory of him.

“It will happen on February 17, which is the three years’ anniversary of his passing.

“I am planning to do it myself and stream the whole thing live on Facebook.

“Nothing is going to stop me from getting a razor to my head and taking it all off.

“At the moment I’ve raised £500 but I’m aiming to surpass £1,000 so we can keep up with the traditions and keep up with the same amount each year.

“I’ve been so blown away with the amount of donations made that I have increased the target since we smashed the first one in under 24 hours.”

If you would also like to help Marcus reach his target you can find his Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/marcus-andrews5