Sunderland pupil shaves his head to fund trip to Cambodia

15 year old Jesse Thompson from Southmoor school with his friends, Stephen Thompson and Kieran Carter, his brother, JJ Thompson and his head of year, Dave Jones after having his hair shaved off to help raise money for a trip to Cambodia next summer.

Sunderland Echo  Friday 20 July 2012 11:33

A TEENAGER said goodbye to his hair in a bid to raise money for a globe-trotting expedition.

Jesse Thompson, 15, had all his hair shaved off as part of his fund-raising efforts for a trip to Cambodia.

The Southmoor Year 10 student needs to raise £4,000 for the educational 2013 summer visit to help build a school in a poverty-stricken area of the country.

Jesse decided to ask people to sponsor him to have his hair shaved off in the school hall and managed to raise more than £300 towards his trip.

Jesse, of Hendon, said: “No one had ever seen me with such short hair, so it was a big change.

“It was just an idea I came up with.

“My parents thought it was daft at first, but as more and more people said they would give me a donation, they decided it was a good way to raise a bit of money.”

The teenager, who will be part of an international school programme when he embarks on the trip, said £4,000 is a huge amount of money to raise, so he will have to work hard but has the support of friends and family.