An Aldi supermarket worker has shaved his head to help raise much-needed funds for a mental health charity.

Christopher Philpott, who works at the bargain chain's Herne Bay store, has had his locks removed in support of the Maidstone and Mind-Kent branch of Mind.

The 26-year-old, who lives on The Fairway in Rochester, is one of millions of key workers who are keeping the country running during the coronavirus outbreak and he wants to do his bit to help those whose mental wellbeing might suffer in these tumultuous times.

Mr Philpott is currently seeing his son Noah less frequently because of social distancing, and says he knows how tough this experience of lockdown will be for many people.

He said: "I decided that during this time of uncertainty, I'm going to shave my head bald for all of us key workers out there. I'll shave it and stay bald until we're out of this.

"I wanted to set this up with a charity donation for Maidstone and Mid-Kent Mind, as now more than ever there's got to be a lot of key workers out there suffering with their mental health, so it is important that we support the services which are there to offer them help when they need it."

A Facebook page set up for donations following the head shave has already raised £260 for the charity, and hopefully there will be more to come.

As a local branch of the national charity, Maidstone and Mid-Kent Mind is entirely self-funded on a local level. This means that during periods of uncertainty, like the current virus outbreak, fundraisers and donations really can make a difference to the support that the organisation can offer to people in the area.

Julie Blackmore, chief executive at the Maidstone branch, said: “Fundraisers have always been important to us as an organisation – providing us with a key source of income which furthers the mental health support that we are able to offer on a local level.

"We have seen an incredible level of support from individuals in the past year – with their combined fundraising bringing in over £60,000 to support our services.

"Now, as we face unprecedented circumstances, the impact that these continued fundraisers can have really cannot be understated. We want to make sure that our virtual and over-the-phone services have as much longevity as possible during this difficult period, and fundraisers and donations are more important than ever in ensuring that will remain possible."

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