A charity hairdo bright enough to stop traffic

A Tavistock shop worker is sporting an exotic hair do which is bright enough to stop the traffic and raise money for charity.

Jen Powers-Horn, who works in the Co-op on Brook Street in Tavistock, bravely asked her customers to vote for which colour she should dye her hair from a series of fun colour combinations, sponsoring her £1 per vote.

Top of the list was a traffic lights theme, so as good as her word, she sat in the beauty salon hot seat and allowed her hair to be styled and dyed yellow on the to, red on the left and green on then right..

Amber-Leigh Langdon Parsons, who runs Gypsy Glow beauty salon in Tavistock, had offered the hair styling free of charge, with staff member Nasha Wall wielding the scissors and hair dye.

Jen, who is well-known in the town for supporting Polo, Tavistock’s favourite wandering cat, said: “I’m doing this fundraising event in aid of Barnardo's.

“I’m really pleased at how Natasha has transformed my hair into what my customers wanted and has done a very professional job, just as I expected. I hope it turns heads and my customers approve.”

The other runner-up choices were neon green with pink spots and Pink and blue stripes.

She added: “I’d like to thank my supporters Luke Thompson, my store manager, and Trudie Tucker, fundraising manager, at Brook Street Co-op, and Gypsy Glow.

“For the event our customers voted from a range of colours and colour designs for £1 and Natsha Wall of Gypsy Glow did it for free for the charity.

“I’d also like to thank the owner of Amber-Leigh, who came forward and offered the services of her company to help with the event.”

Barnardo’s is the Co-op’s corporate charity, and the store often holds events to raise funds for the charity which helps vulnerable children and young people.

Jen added: “I love fundraising for charities and it’s something I always put my all into. People know me for my different hair colours and always give me different ideas. So, I thought this event would be a great idea to have a say and have fun along the way.

“I hope to raise as much as I can with the help of the team and customers. I really hope we can make a difference to many children's lives with this event. I would like to thank everyone for their votes and donations so far, it’s great to see so much support.”

Natasha said: “I was delighted to carry out Jen’s transformation. There was no worry she’d not be happy because she is used to having different coloured hair. But there was the slight pressure of making it look extra good for her charity cause and her customers. It gives me great job satisfaction to make people feel better about themselves through my work and this time, also to support a children’s charity.”

Donations can continue to be made at Brook Street Co-op, for the next week or so as customers take in the new-look Jen, at this JustGiving link: https://tinyurl.com/yjjd392x