A MUSSELBURGH woman is set to get her head shaved for charity just before Christmas in memory of her dad, whom she lost to suicide.

Rachel Macpherson, 29, will donate her ponytail to the Little Princess Trust which provides wigs for children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatment or other conditions.

She will have her tresses shaved off on December 22, also raising funds for suicide prevention charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) in memory of her dad Colin Macpherson, who died in 2017 at the age of 56.

A Musselburgh resident for around 20 years, he latterly lived at Meadowbank in Edinburgh.

Rachel, a former pupil of Musselburgh Grammar School, explained on her JustGiving page: “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I never thought I’d do it as I didn’t think I’d ever have the guts to go through with it.

“Probably because it’s not as socially acceptable or the ‘norm’ for a female but who wants to be ‘normal’?”

She added: “Secondly, I thought it would be silly to do such a big thing and not do something for charity.”

Rachel explained: “My final reason which only became a reason once I started telling people I was going to do this is to challenge societal norms. A number of people have been negative or very against the idea of me shaving my head which I’ve found really interesting (genuinely) because literally nothing bad will happen when I shave my head.

“In a world that often tells women their worth is tied to their appearance, I now feel shaving my head challenges that a bit.

“We all carry assumptions about what’s ‘normal’ about beauty, and about femininity. I think it’s good to challenge our views and reflect on how these assumptions shape our judgements.

“But my main reasons for doing it are because I want to and I can do some good as part of it. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.”

Keen runner Rachel, who was brought up on Inveresk Road but now lives in Niddrie, supported her mum, Gail, a well-known Musselburgh Tesco worker, to success in the Edinburgh Half Marathon this year.

Gail raised funds for Alzheimer Scotland in memory of her mum, Morag Falconer.

To donate to Rachel’s head shave fundraiser go to justgiving.com/page/rachel-macpherson-baldy