A St Anne’s woman is set to shave her head on Halloween to raise awareness for men’s mental health. Dawn O’Brien (pictured) will say goodbye to her 16-inch-long brunette hair on Thursday 31st October to raise funds for Andy’s Man Club.
On the Halloween themed fund-raiser and before having her hair shaved off, Dawn will emerge as ‘Uncle Fester’, and then dress as ‘Cousin Itt’ from the Addams Family. With her brave head shave, Dawn, who is well known as a local B&M Manager, not only hopes to raise at least £1,000 for the charity but she also wants to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and help men through the power of conversation.
Her courageous hair shave comes after the tragic loss of her stepson, which has inspired her support the cause.
Dawn said, ‘The stigma of men being strong and unfaltering has caused so much damage in this world.’
Dawn explained, ‘After I told colleagues what I was doing, I had men grab me and say thank you, because they had been in dark places before. These are men I never would have imagined. Men have been conditioned to keep these emotions hidden and these stereotypes are causing our men to take their own lives.’
‘The biggest thing is, my hair will always grow back, but we will never get our boys back.’
Dawn hopes her brave initiative to bring attention to the struggles faced by men and the work of Andy’s Man Club, which provides a safe space for men to discuss any issues or concerns they may have.
According to the Office of National Statistics, there were more than 6,000 suicides in 2023. Men aged 45 to 49 were the most affected, marking the highest male suicide rate since 1999.
If you would like to donate to Ms O’Brien’s cause, visit https://justgiving.com/page/dawn-hudson-1727011683493
If you are struggling and would like to talk to somebody, visit https://andysmanclub.co.uk/ for more information.
