Mother of two to brave the shave for cancer charity in memory of ‘great’ and ‘kind’ father

Peter Kendall, from Daventry, was diagnosed with bladder cancer before he passed away in June 2024.

Since the Macmillan nurses assisted Peter during his final months, his daughter Natasha Clayton is raising money for the charity to help others in similar circumstances receive the assistance they need.

Natasha, a swim instructor at Daventry Leisure Centre, said: “It's still very hard, still very emotional, which is to be expected.

“I think having support there on the day will help. I’m still very nervous about it. (...) I'm doing it for a great cause, so that's also there to see me through it. I'd like to think that my dad would be proud of what I'm doing.”

Following his cancer diagnosis, Peter spent the last year undergoing chemotherapy and surgery.

“He was a lovely, kind person and very stubborn. He was a great father. He dealt with his diagnosis very well. He was always trying to be very positive.

“He didn't think in his head that things were going to end in a negative way,” said Natasha.

According to Natasha, Peter "always spoke so highly of the Macmillan nurses" and had a lot of care from them in his final months. Peter could not have handled his worries as well as he did without their help.

“It became a lot harder towards the end, but he was such a positive person with everything that was going on.

“He kept trying to tell us to all be positive,” said Natasha.

Just days after committing to the shave, thanks to the power of social media and donations from family and friends, Natasha has already raised more than £300 for the charity.

“I'm getting lots of support, which is fantastic.

“Anyone that would like to join us can just come along to the centre,” said Natasha.

The head shave is taking place at 11.30am at the Daventry Leisure Centre cafe on Tuesday, September 10, where donations can be taken on the day and online here.