First year to shave off year long beard for charity outside SU

Samuel Matanle grew a beard for a year for charity, and will be shaving it off outside the SU tomorrow.

The Business and Economics first year raised £4,732 already for The UK Sepsis Trust after his best friend’s dad, Terry Sennett, died.

He’s also got a Facebook page with 437 likes called The Beard Diaries, where he posts updates.

He’ll by live streaming the shave at 1pm tomorrow outside the NUSU.

Samuel told The Tab: “My initial target was £2500, which then got raised to £3250, then £4000 and now I’ve almost hit a £5000 target which is an overwhelming and almost surreal feeling.

“It all came about after Terry Sennet, my best-mate James’ father tragically and suddenly passed away from septicaemia at the end of 2014 aged 48. He was an extremely funny, hardworking and generous man who I had grown very fond of.

“As such I wanted to do something to raise money in his memory and to raise awareness about an illness which I knew very little about.

“I’m actually pretty nervous to shave it off. I’ve completely forgotten what I look like and what it feels like to have a chin. I’m going to have nothing to talk about anymore.

“James (Terry’s son and my best mate) will be down there with me tomorrow for the shave. We both believe that people should be more aware of septicaemia as an illness. It is caused through infection spreading into the blood system and is effectively blood poisoning.

“In the UK it kills more people annually than breast cancer, prostate cancer and bowel cancer combined. It can be caused by a chest infection to an ear infection to simple infected skin injuries like cuts or bites. All of these are very easily treated if dealt with early enough.

“So I urge you to go and see a Doctor if you’re at all worried about infection.”

Donate to his Just Giving page here.