Carnforth teen bullied for growing hair raises £6k in memory of grandad

Matt Roberts, 15, has already raised more than £6,000 for Help for Heroes and is well on his way to creating another wig for a child undergoing cancer treatment.

This is the second time Matt has swerved the scissors in aid of the Little Princess Trust – last time he grew his hair for two years but this time his thick mane is already more than 18 inches long.

When Matt’s grandad, Ken Debnam - known as ‘Pop Pop’ - was ill and later died from lung cancer, he wanted to do his bit to help.

So at nine years old, approached him mum, Nicole, with the idea of growing his locks for two years and then donating it to make a real hair wig for a young person going through illness.

Matt said: “I decided to grow my hair for three years so a longer wig could be made. It has been difficult at times, I’ve been bullied – called names and physically bullied – but I was determined to never give up.”

“From behind, some people think I’m a girl, so I use that as a chance to explain what I’m doing and why, and I usually got a donation out of it too.”

Matt’s hairdresser mum, Nicole Debnam, will shave his head on December 10.

“I’m not nervous about losing all my hair, I’m just happy to be able to give it to someone who needs it,” he said.

"I’ve got a very good woolly hat to keep my head warm for winter, but I think after this I’ll keep my hair short for a few years. It’ll be strange not having so much hair to look after but I will not miss it getting in my face when I eat.”

Matt, who is heading into Year 11 at Carnforth High School and is a keen scuba diver, added: “My ‘Pop Pop’ was a Sergeant Major in the Prince of Wales’s Own regiment and served for 22 years. I was very close to my him and he would tell me lots of war stories.

“I also have an uncle who served in the Army who suffers with PTSD. We’ve been a military family for generations, so I wanted to raise awareness to help veterans and their families thrive after service."

Help for Heroes supports veterans from any branch of the UK military, irrespective of length or place of service and provides support for people when they’re managing their physical and mental health, as well as their welfare and social needs.

Matt has already raised more than £6,200 of his £7,500 target through a host of fundraising events including Carnforth Carnival, tombolas, coffee mornings and regular craft fairs held by his grandma and grandpa, Vicky and Tommy James.

His brothers Josh and Lucas, as well as other family members, have been by Matt’s side at fundraising events too.

Nicole added: “It was really hard to watch him go through such a hard time and to see him upset when children bullied him, but he handled it himself.

"Matt’s response was 'I’m raising money for charity and I’m giving my hair to a child with cancer – what are you doing?'

"Matt is a very kind boy and we are so proud of him.”

To help Matt reach his target visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/N-DEBNAM