A FATHER had a Wanderers Mohican haircut to raise £700 for a charity close to his heart.

John Freeman, aged 42, of Gorses Mount, Darcy Lever, ditched the usual David Beckham design for one in the shades of his beloved Bolton Wanderers.

The cut was the climax to his month-long sponsored abstinence from cigarettes and alcohol to raise funds for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

John and his wife, Mary, have personal reasons for supporting the charity.

Their daughter, Natalie, died aged just 22 months in 1991 from meningococcal septicaemia, one of the most severe forms of meningitis.

John, who works in the cleansing department at Bolton Council, had the designer crop in one of his local pubs, the Farmer's Arms.

He said: "Giving up the cigarettes and alcohol was easy because I was very determined, and I have had a lot of encouragement from everyone.

"I don't know why I thought of the haircut, but it is much better than David Beckham's. I would like to thank everyone involved, especially my four local pubs, for passing around sponsor forms."

John hopes his fundraising efforts will help advance research into the disease and prevent others from suffering the same heartbreak his family experienced.

He said: "My wife and I understand only too well the devastation that meningitis and septicaemia can cause."

Mary, aged 39, and their two other children, John, aged 15, and 21-year-old Adele, are 100 per cent behind their dad, but were apprehensive about how the haircut was going to look.

The money raised will go towards vital work investigating the different forms of the disease and to raise awareness.

Julia Warren, for the charity, said 98 per cent of their funds came from voluntary donations and John's haircut was a more unusual way of raising money.

She said: "Not many people would get a multi-coloured Mohican haircut. I think he has been a brilliant sport and we are very thankful for all his efforts.

"It is his way of fighting back against the disease and to help people who are affected in the future."

For more information on meningitis ring the Freefone 24-hour helpline: 0800 8800 3344

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