Dennis loses more than he bargained for in head-shave fundraiser
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A WICK man had a close shave with some dog clippers that lost him more than his crowning glory when his eyebrows were taken off too – but it was all for a good cause thankfully.
Dennis Miller had his head shaved for Caithness General Hospital by his wife Betsy in the front garden of their home in Leith Walk as a few friends watched from a safe distance at a prearranged time on Thursday evening last week.
Dennis got more than he bargained for when Betsy took his eyebrows off too in a dramatic moment captured in a Facebook live video of the event.
"I used dog clippers on him," said Betsy on Monday morning outside Caithness General as the couple handed over £1128 cash in envelopes – more than triple what they had initially aimed for with the fundraiser.
"I trimmed our dog with them later on. I hope he'll be okay," joked Betsy.
Betsy was a care worker for the NHS but over the last few years has experienced the other side of the health service as a patient.
"I've been in and out of the hospital with severe lung disease and been treated so well in A&E and at the Rosebank wing," she said.
She said that the recurring health issues have led to her having to be put in a coma and flown to Inverness several times.
"Our hospital has saved my life on numerous occasions so that is why Dennis and I wanted give something back with this charity event."
The original plan was to raise £300 for the Rosebank wing but, after a video was posted on social media, the donations flooded in to take the grand total to almost four times the amount with £1118.
The head-shave event was captured on video and showed Dennis wince as Betsy decided to take a diversion from the top of his head and in an unplanned moment remove his eyebrows too.
"I wasn't expecting that and didn't enjoy that bit at all," Dennis said.
"We were both really delighted to have raised the money, though."
Betsy said: "He's really proud of his thick hair and likes grooming himself in the mirror.
"I remember how he used to love checking himself in that big mirror on the side of Fred Shearer's shop on the High Street."
Betsy and Dennis headed to the Wick hospital earlier today (Monday, May 18) to hand in the £1118 but received an extra tenner as they were about to set off.
That took the grand total to £1128 plus two tablet computers for hospitalised children to use.
Kay Allan, area support manager at the hospital, said the money would go to an endowment fund for each of the wards and will "specifically stay at Caithness General".
Betsy and Dennis are still accepting money for the hospital and PayPal donations can be sent to betsyannmiller@outlook.com or handed in at number 6 Leith Walk, Wick KW1 4HS.
