A Yate businessman’s £6,000 haircut is believed to be something of a record in the South Gloucestershire town.

Mike Glen, managing director of Cotswold Homes Ltd, volunteered to have his head shaved in support of Macmillan Cancer Support through its Brave the Shave challenge.

In a bid to raise £2,500 for the charity, Mike encouraged work colleagues, friends and family to make donations if he went ahead.

Their enthusiastic response resulted in his target being smashed four times with £11,425 being raised to date. Now the figure is about to increase with ‘a substantial donation’ from Cotswold Homes.

‘I hope it won’t stop there,’ said a freshly-shaved Mike. ‘Hopefully others will boost that figure by making additional donations through the Brave the Shave website.’

For Mike, taking part in the challenge was more than just a stunt. He said: ‘At the age of 27 my niece Paige, who is an osteopath, is bravely going through treatment for stage two triple negative breast cancer.

‘It’s impossible to describe the effect on her and the wider family. We are hopeful of a very positive outcome and, to support her in losing her hair, I decided to take part in Brave the Shave to raise more funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.’

Mike added that most Cotswold Homes employees have been touched by cancer one way or another, underlining the need to do something positive.

He added: ‘Many of us have had relatives supported throughout by Macmillan nurses. In every case the practical and emotional help they provided was invaluable.’

The organisers of Brave the Shave – which has raised more than £22 million since 2015 – ask people to shave their heads ‘to stand proudly alongside men, women and children with cancer.’

Make a donation to Macmillan Cancer Support by visiting https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/mike-glen