A grandad from Andreas has presented a cheque for almost ?1,200 to Manx Blind Welfare Society after shattering his own fundraising target.

Ian Macaulay had his hair, beard and eyebrows shaved off as part of a bid to raise ?200 for the Society, which looks after the interests of more than 600 people with serious sight loss in the Isle of Man.

The 62-year-old wanted to donate the money in memory of his late father, Donald, who was supported by MBWS after losing his eyesight.

Within just days of announcing his plans, Ian’s ?200 target had been beaten. The donations continued to roll in and in March, after growing his hair and beard for six months, he went under the razor at The Executive Barber Shop in Douglas.

All the donations have now been counted and the final total is ?1,170.12

Ian, the Accounts Administrator at Target Tools, said: ‘The public support has been utterly overwhelming. I just wanted to show my appreciation for the work the Society does, and especially the help it gave Dad, and thought ?200 was an ambitious amount.

‘But the response was amazing. There has been such generosity and I’m extremely proud to have been able to make such a substantial donation to the Society.

‘There are too many people to thank individually, but I’d like to let everyone who donated know how grateful I am for their incredible kindness. My hair is already growing back and will soon be back to normal, but I’ll never forget all the support I received.’

The money raised by Ian will help the Society continue providing a wide range of free services and support to blind and visually impaired people across the Island. It relies entirely on bequests, donations and fundraising like Ian’s to continue its work.

Manx Blind Welfare Society Volunteers Coordinator & Events Organiser Debbie Thomson said: ‘The support for Ian, once again, demonstrates the wonderful generosity of the Manx public. He began this selfless fundraising effort with a target in mind, but it captured people’s imaginations and we’re absolutely delighted to have received such a huge donation - almost six times more than he’d aimed for!

‘Every penny donated to the Society makes a difference, and the money raised by Ian through the kind public donations will make an important difference to the lives of blind and visually impaired people living right here in the Isle of Man.

‘On behalf of the Society, I’d like to thank Ian and everyone who donated.’

To find out more about the work of MBWS visit www.mbws.org.im. 

Photo - Ian Macaulay and Manx Blind Welfare Society Volunteers Coordinator & Events Organiser Debbie Thomson (Peter Bull).