A haircut and a pair of rugby boots in Newcastle Emlyn have helped to raise over £5,000 for a national diabetes charity.

At the Brave the Shave evening in the Coopers Arms on Saturday, January 26, waitress Yvonne Lloyd marked her 50th birthday by having her head shaved to raise money for Diabetes UK Cymru.

Supervised by hairdresser Pamela Atterbury, Newcastle Emlyn Mayor, Cefin Evans, was the first to chop off one of Yvonne’s blond bunches, with more cut off by audience members who paid for the privilege.

Yvonne is a well-known face in Newcastle Emlyn for her work in Ty Croeso Delicatessen.

She was inspired to lose her luscious locks by her son Tristan, now 25, who developed type 1 diabetes when he was at university.

“It was an epic night that I will never forget,” she said of the head shave. “There was an astonishing number of people there – the support was overwhelming. I’m really grateful to everyone who helped to make the evening such a success.”

A pair of rugby boots (complete with mud) belonging to Welsh international rugby star Scott Williams was auctioned for nearly £200. Several other items were donated by local businesses as auction or raffle prizes, the Coopers Arms organised a buffet and local band Backtrax provided the music.

Donations to Diabetes UK Cymru can still be made at Ty Croeso or on line at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/yvonne-lloyd2