Hairdresser goes for ‘The Gloria’

AFTER shaving the heads of more than 100 people as they raised money for charity over the years, Ennis hairdresser Gloria Greer decided to ‘go for the chop’ herself.
The well-known stylist from Twin Blades had 26 inches of her long blond hair shorn from her head while cheered on by plenty of supporters at the Front Bar on Sunday. Her new hairstyle has even become known as ‘The Gloria’ on the streets of Ennis.
She wasn’t the only one to lose some hair for Barnardos, with volunteers also having their legs waxed in Gerz Place on the same day.
Gloria said her flowing locks were important but that raising money to support the children’s charity, a favourite cause of her late mother, was even more so.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but I never had the guts, until now. People also dye their hair for charity but it would have been a cop out for me because it would be too easy for me to change the colour of my hair. I’ve shaved so many people over the years, well over 100 and I thought if they could do it then, so could I. This has been a long ambition of mine and Barnardos is a fantastic cause. It was my late mother Pauline’s charity, we always supported them. She passed away in September and I wanted to do something significant to support her charity, this was like a tribute to her.
“I’ve always had my hair long so it was a huge thing for me to get it all cut off. There are 26 inches gone now. Hair is my business, it’s what I’ve been doing all my life and it’s what my family do. But as I say, you’re not in it for the vanity of it, you’re in it for the cause. It’s not what’s on the outside but what’s on the inside that counts and I thought to myself that if one child can get away from what they are dealing with for just one day, then all of this is worth it.”
Prior to the head shave, Gloria’s supporters gathered in Gerz Place to help raise even more funds with sponsored leg shaves. The group including Gloria’s friends from the salon and sister Hazel then walked through the town, stopping in different pubs to raise more money before heading to the Front Bar for the main event.
“Everybody involved volunteered their time and it was just so amazing to see the amount of support I got. There was a great atmosphere in the Front Bar, with music by Ollie Mullooly, and everyone had a great time. I was just overwhelmed by how many people showed up,” said Gloria.
It wasn’t just in Ennis that money was raised, with Gloria’s sister, Chris in Cork and friends contributing to the fund.
So far, she has managed to raise around €3,500, with more still left to be collected. “I couldn’t believe it, it’s absolutely brilliant. I thought I’d only raise €300. I’ve just been stunned by how much support I’ve got, it’s mind blowing. I’ve had help from lots of shops around the town, with everything from helping us to promote the shave by putting up posters to giving us donations.”
She paid particular tribute to her husband, Paul, saying, “I know it was a big shock to him to see my hair but he was just so supportive and was the first one who gave me the confidence that I could do it.”
She said while cutting off all her hair was difficult, she is in no rush to grow it back. “I think when people see it it’s a bit of reality, it brings it home why I decided to do this and what the cause is all about.
“I was thinking maybe of taking bets on when it grows back to raise even more money for charity.”
After her own haircut at the weekend, it was back to work for Gloria this week as she prepares to do even more charity head shaves for others.
“People are more than welcome to come in and get The Gloria, it’s what I’ve heard it’s been called around town,” she laughed.