A Birmingham mum made a ‘bald’ move in support of bereaved mums and dads, when she shaved off all of her hair, raising over £1,000 for Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity’s Woodland House Appeal.

Rowena Goodman, from Edgbaston, was inspired to forgo her shoulder-length, platinum blonde hair after seeing others brave the shave online during the lockdown. Although it was something she wanted to do anyway, Rowena chose to turn her new ‘do’ into a fundraiser and thought back to when her daughter was born 20 months earlier.

Rowena’s pregnancy had been far from straightforward but with plenty of support, appointments, scans, tests and antenatal classes at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, a healthy baby Marnie was born, weighing in at an impressive 10lbs. After two weeks however, Rowena was admitted back into hospital with sepsis and while she was incredibly poorly during her stay, help from the nurses meant she was able to overcome her struggle with breastfeeding Marnie.

Eternally grateful for the help and care she received at the hospital, Rowena knew that if she was going to shave her hair off for any charity, it would have to be Birmingham Women’s Hospital. Reading up about her chosen cause, Rowena came across the charity’s £3.5 million Woodland House Appeal, which will bring a brand new, standalone bereavement centre to the hospital and set a new standard of care for families experiencing pregnancy or baby loss. With friends who have experienced this very tragedy, the appeal struck a chord with Rowena and she set about starting her fundraiser.

Rowena said: “As soon as I saw the Woodland House Appeal video, I knew I wanted to help. It’s so easy to take things for granted but I’m so grateful for all of the help and support I had from Birmingham Women’s Hospital and this is just one way of saying thank you while helping others.

“I shaved my own head in the garden during lockdown, which I have to say, is easier said than done, but I absolutely love it. It’s so much easier to take care of and it’s growing back so soft and healthy, but the best thing is that I know doing it has helped make a difference.”

Miranda Williams, head of public fundraising at Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity, said: “We love hearing how experiences at our hospital stay with and inspire our patients and families to fundraise and we can’t thank Rowena enough for choosing to support such a vital appeal.

“Woodland House will be entirely charitably funded, so the money Rowena has raised will help us make the dream of Woodland House a reality. It will create a much-needed safe, calm place, away from the busy main hospital, where our bereaved families can spend time together before they feel ready to face the world again.”

If you'd like to find out more about our Woodland House Appeal or make a donation you can do so here.