Former Salford army sergeant raises nearly £4,000 for Broughton House

A former army sergeant from Salford has raised nearly £4,000 for Broughton House Veteran Care Village by having his head and beard completely shaved.

Ian Ward, 57, last had a haircut and shave three months ago, before lockdown started.

His partner Diane Richardson got out the scissors, clippers and razor to shear him in support of the Salford home for ex-servicemen and women.

Ian, a father-of-two, served in the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment and the Royal Horse Artillery for more than 20 years in total.

His father served in the Royal Artillery for 24 years.

Meanwhile Diane, a hospital sonographer, has a long-standing connection to Broughton House.

Her aunt and uncle worked there, and her father, who was in the Royal Navy, delivered prescriptions to Broughton House residents for a local pharmacy after leaving the service.

Ian, who now lives with Diane in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, is a shunter driver for DHL.

He raised just over £1,900 himself including Gift Aid, and DHL has pledged to match the total.
Ian said: “I’ve never had my hair so long – it’s normally a number two back and sides for me and my beard had always been tidy until lockdown.

“My friends called me Worzel Gummidge because of my appearance, so when I decided to have a haircut and shave I thought it would be good to do it for charity.

“Being a former serviceman myself, and knowing about the fantastic care that Broughton House has given to veterans for more than a century, I decided to support it as it’s a great cause, knowing they are raising money for the UK’s first Veteran Care Village.”

Rhys Edwards, fundraising and marketing manager at Broughton House, said: “Ian has managed to raise a fantastic amount for Broughton House and our residents really appreciate his support.

“As we transition into the next phase of our state-of-the-art Veteran Care Village, it’s great to have the support from individuals based all over the country.”

The £15m redevelopment of Broughton House into the UK’s first Veteran Care Village will see the two-acre site comprise a 64-bedroom care home, up to 30 independent living apartments, a military support hub, a memorial park and landscaped gardens with a bowling green and bandstand.