Offaly duo set for Shave or Dye

Friends Geraldine Mulligan from Ballycumber and Josie McCormack-Venters from Tullamore are closer to 50 than 40 according to Geraldine.

However that’s not stopping the two daredevils shaving their hair off as part of Today FM’s Shave or Dye fundraising efforts for the Irish Cancer Society later this month.

The big shave is set for Allure hair salon in Tullamore on February 21, and between now and then Geraldine is hoping they can attract as much sponsorship as possible.

“For Josie, she lost both her parents and obviously friends and family to cancer,” Geraldine explained. “For me the push to do it is because I’ve had cancer.”

Having battled cancer twice in the last decade herself and lost many of her father’s side of the family to the disease, Geraldine said this year she feels like shaving her hair to give something back to the Irish Cancer Society.

“The Irish Cancer Society has been very good to me,” she explained. “Last year Daffodil Day was one of their worst ever. Their funding is way down, and this is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m doing this to just try and raise as much as I can for a very worthy cause, just to say thank you to them for what they did for me.

“It’ll grow back,” plucky Geraldine, who many will know from her days as chef in Loughrey’s on High Street in Tullamore, added.

Right now Geraldine has short blonde hair, while Josie has slightly longer blonde hair. They’ll both be sporting the same look from about 11am on February 21 however - bald as coots!

Geraldine insists she’s not nervous about the big shave though. “I think when you get to a certain age you don’t have these pre-conceived ideas of what you should look like,” she explained.

The duo have no fundraising goal set, but are looking for all the sponsorship they can get from individuals and businesses alike.

“If any person or business wants to give us a few bob we’ll be thrilled,” Geraldine said. “We’re not doing it to be greedy, but we all need to call on the Irish Cancer Society at some stage. You never know the day or the hour.”

Money can be given to Geraldine and Josie’s efforts via sponsorship cards that will be distributed shortly, via Allure hair salon or online at http://www.mycharity.ie/fundPageTemplateX.php?urlRef=Geraldine_mulligans_event.