Ben proves he’s a cut above the rest to raise money for Wrexham mental health charity

A man has used his lockdown “haircut at home” as an opportunity to raise funds for a local mental health charity.

Ben Williams, from Wrexham, decided to have his hair shaved off to his support for Advance Brighter Futures (ABF) – a charity he described as being “very close to his heart”.

Ben, who began as as a volunteer in February 2018 before becoming an employee in September 2019, wanted to show his appreciation for the charity and raised £200 by shaving off his hair.

“With the country in lockdown and all of the hairdressers closed, I was in need of a haircut, but I didn’t have many options,” explained Ben.

“The idea of shaving my head came up, and that’s when I started to see it as an opportunity to do so as a fundraiser for Advance Brighter Futures (ABF). I asked people if they’d donate if I shaved it all off and they were really, really generous.

“My step-dad did the shaving and overall, I raised £200 for an amazing charity. I get to see first-hand all the incredible work it does in the local area…plus, as an added bonus this haircut should last me until the hairdressers re-open.”

Established in Wrexham since 1992, Advance Brighter Futures is a mental health and wellbeing charity which aims to ensure that no individual experiencing mental health problems ever feels like they are on their own.

Ben said working at the charity is like being part of big family.

“It started with me coming in to do two afternoons a week of administration work,” he said.

“Following that I then volunteered to help out with the Erddig walk on a weekly basis too.

“I’m now on a nine-hour contract where I do admin work for them and I also continue to do the walk on a voluntary basis.”

“Advance Brighter Futures means family to me because everyone who works here is part of one big family. ABF also means happiness because everybody here always has a big smile on their face, which will brighten your day.”

Lorrisa Roberts, Chief Officer at Advance Brighter Futures, said: “It’s wonderful that Ben used his initiative to raise some money and bring awareness to the work we do, but it didn’t surprise me at all.

“Ben is someone who came in to us as a volunteer and understood our core values very quickly and is now employed by the charity. He represents us really well and I’d just like to say that Ben, you’re a credit to ABF”.

Lockdown has presented many challenges for charities across Wales, but ABF continues to operate and provide its vital services, albeit in a much different way than usual.

Lorrisa explains: “Something we’re keen to stress is that we’re still open, and although you won’t be able to come to the building for support, we’ve set up our staff to work from home to provide telephone support to the people who need us.

“We’ve also been able to use Zoom to still offer our group sessions, and this has also been a great way for staff to keep in touch by having staff meetings. In many ways this has brought us all closer together.

“The country is in lockdown, but mental health certainly isn’t and our message is clear – we’re still here for you.”

For more information about the charity and the services we offer, please visit www.advancebrighterfutureswrexham.co.uk