A MOTHER from Carlisle is set to shave her head in order to raise money for a local refugee action charity. 

Alison Goldie, who works as a therapist in the border city, is aiming to raise £1,000 for Carlisle Refugee Action Group (CRAG) to support the work they do helping refugees and asylum seekers across the county. 

She has already raised £220 and is committed to shaving her head in the next few weeks, although eight-year-old daughter Penelope still needs a little convincing, having already sacrificed all of her hair during the first lockdown in 2020 after her sister Matilda gave her a haircut.

Alison has experienced first-hand the amazing work that CRAG does in difficult circumstances. She worked there before the pandemic, and said that they were always going to be her choice of charity to support. 

She said: "I used to help with the child care at CRAG pre-pandemic. They do brilliant work.

"There are a lot more refugees in Carlisle now and they need our support.

"I can't help as much physically as I used to, so any time I do any fundraising, it would be for them. Funding is always an issue for places like that."

CRAG recently urged communities to stand united against rising tensions around asylum seekers and Alison wants to highlight the support that they offer.

"CRAG works really hard to support refugees once they are in Carlisle. They help to settle into day-to-day life, whether that's supporting their English, meeting people, or having social events.

"They also help them on a practical level, with things like furniture for houses, computers for kids, or driving lessons. They're really good at that, they make a huge difference to refugees once they are actually here.

"It's brilliant that refugees are put somewhere safe but quite often they are then left to their own devices and it's a completely different culture to them."

Some of the donations have also included a kind message to Alison promising to buy her a hat once she does shave her head... although she has some winter bobblehats ready at home.

You can donate to Alison's GoFundMe page here.