In 1987, Mum and Dad (Margaret and Bill Grove) moved into a bungalow in Argyll Street, Kettering. Dad had had his eye on that place for years, he knew it was where he wanted to move to, and they snapped it up when it finally came on the market. Once in, they spent several years turning it into the home they had dreamt of, including moving the kitchen, creating a much bigger lounge, and building a garage.

They spent many happy years there. Dad’s health began to deteriorate in 2017 and he sadly passed away at the end of 2020. Mum continued to live in their home, she wasn’t ready to move yet, but time was taking its toll on the building.

I already knew about the work that The ExtraCare Charitable Trust do to provide amazing environments for older people to live in. My wife’s parents moved into Lark Hill in Nottingham shortly after it opened where they were looked after for the rest of their lives.

I arranged a visit to Sunley Court in Kettering for Mum in 2021 so she could get an idea of what was available to her as and when she decided to move. After an accident at home in 2023 and a short stay in hospital to recover, Mum decided it was finally time to move. Fortunately, there was a ground floor apartment available at Sunley Court, so we made the arrangement and Mum moved into her new home in November 2023.

Mum loves it there. She has made many new friends, and regularly gets involved in the many activities arranged for the residents. The family are free to visit her at any time and are always made welcome by the amazing staff, and I have got to know many of Mum’s new friends.

On a recent visit, I was sat in the lounge chatting with Mum and some of the other residents. They had decided that they wanted to raise some money to improve their surroundings, new blinds and curtains in the lounge and maybe some extra outdoor furniture. They knew these things would likely get done at some point by ExtraCare, but they may have to wait some time for the funds to be available.

I’m not completely sure how or why it happened, but I offered to have my head shaved if we could raise at least £500 in sponsorship. So, here we are!! My Mum and Sarah-Jane, Sunley's Activities Coordinator will be doing the honours on Friday 14th June.

I decided to let my hair grow over 5 years ago and haven’t had a haircut since then. Measured from my crown, the total length of my hair is around 28 inches. Since the decision was made, I have also stopped shaving, so the beard is now included. If we get enough sponsorship, I might even let the eyebrows go.

We are also looking into donating the cut off hair to the Little Princess Trust to be used in wigs for children and young people being treated for cancer. I’m not sure how many kids would want grey hair, but I’m assured they will welcome the donation 😊