Well-loved Cambridge hair salon, Scruffs, was delighted to present Arthur Rank Hospice Charity with a cheque for £2,405 this month! An equal donation was also made to the Little Princess Trust, after funds were raised earlier this year as part of the Bridge Street salon’s 50th Birthday celebrations.
The Salon was set up on Victoria Road, in 1968, by John Chapman under his own name. It later became ‘Scruffs’ moving to Mill Road in 1978, before residing in its current location on Bridge Street. The well-loved salon is very much a family affair. Three generations of the Chapman family have taken up their scissors to become stylists there: John, his sons Garry and Grant and Garry’s daughter/John’s granddaughter Poppy. John’s wife Marilyn Chapman provides training for the organisation and Caroline Chapman (Garry’s wife) works in the Salon’s accounts and finance team.
When it came to marking the momentous occasion of their 50th Birthday, the team chose to raise money for two local charities. These were the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, which supports people living with a life-limiting illness in Cambridgeshire and the Little Princess Trust, which provides real hair wigs free of charge to children and young people up to the age of 24 who have sadly lost their own hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses.
On Sunday 20 May 2018 stylists gave up their day off to provide haircuts in exchange for a donation, whilst guests indulged in a glass of bubbly and slice of cake. An art-work auction also took place, with one of world-renowned photographer Patrick Ems’ pieces from his ‘Visual Decadence’ collection raising £500. This was also split between the two charities.
The hair salon’s connection to Arthur Rank Hospice is a strong one, with John and Marilyn – as well as stylist Lily Barrett – volunteering within the Hospice’s Day Therapy services. John has volunteered as a driver and Marilyn and Lily help during weekly activity sessions at the Shelford Bottom site.
Speaking on behalf of the Scruffs team, John Chapman comments: “When I started out hairdressing in the late 60s ladies were having their hair washed and set, but in the early 70s Vidal Sassoon changed the face of hairdressing: introducing the cut and blow-dry. We invested in Vidal courses in London and never looked back, quickly outgrowing our first premises. Luckily for us, our two sons came into the business and eventually took over. Our granddaughter is now the third generation to come into our business. We are extremely proud of the fact that we are one big family, including our clients who have supported us for many years. We have shared each other’s ups and downs, watched our children grow up and now their children are bringing their children in for haircuts. We would like to extend a huge thank you to our extended family for their wonderful support over the last 50 years!”
Bec Beattie, Community Fundraiser for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, adds: “The wonderful and generous support of local businesses like Scruffs makes all the difference to the Hospice and the people living with a life-limiting illness that we support. £2,405 will have such a positive impact for our patients. This amount of money could fund: an eight week day therapy programme (one day each week for one patient) at a cost of £1,180; two episodes of vital Hospice at Home care between 10pm and 7am for one patient (£472 per night); a programme of singing sessions lifting the spirit and confidence for up to ten patients (£240); and two months of specialist food and drink to stimulate patients’ appetites (£21 per month).
We love working with community-minded businesses and would love to hear from anyone else who might be interested to support us in a similar way, with a birthday or annual celebration.”
To contact the Hospice’s fundraising team about working together to raise funds and awareness for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity call 01223 675888 or visit https://www.arhc.org.uk/community-overview.asp .
To explore volunteering opportunities, please contact the Hospice’s voluntary services team on 01223 675872, or visit https://www.arhc.org.uk/volunteering.asp to find out more about the kind of roles available.