Vicar gets hair off to repair the roof

THE Rev David Penny is undertaking a hair-raising challenge to kick start a £200,000 fund-raising appeal for a new church roof.

He will follow in the footsteps of skateboarders and hip-hop artists when he has trendy patterns shaved into his hair.

Tomorrow’s sponsored event is part of a hairdressing demonstration at St Matthew’s Church, Chadderton Hall Road, to raise money for the repairs.

Mr Penny will put himself in the hands of staff from Headhunters salon and it seems that parishioners are keen for him to get a new hairdo.

He said: “I am quite surprised by the number of people who have been sponsoring me. The figure just keeps going up.

“I am apprehensive to see what they might do. It’s not normally something I would have done to my hair.”

St Matthew’s was hit by a major arson attack in 1986. A fund-raising appeal saw it restored to its full glory and the church celebrated its 150th anniversary last year.

It now needs to be completely reroofed and Mr Penny explained: “We have approached English Heritage and hopefully we might get some money, but it is quite a lot of fund-raising we are going to have to do over the next couple of years.

“It is one of those things: churches of this age always need things done. The roof is in quite a bad state and there are places where it is leaking in.”

The hair demonstration starts at 7.45pm. Tickets cost £5 (including refreshments) from Iris Laft on 0161-624 5584.