ANGLING enthusiast Jan Norris knows no bounds when it comes to fund-raising for her favourite charity, Macmillan Nurses.

This year she volunteered to have her head shaved at the annual fund-raising event at Cannop Ponds organised by Yorkley and District Angling Club.

It was the climax to a long day for Jan, the club’s water bailiff officer, who had arrived on site at 5.15am to barbecue bacon and sausages for her fellow anglers before spending the day taking part in the angling competition.

Jan had grown her hair long and dyed it bright pink to publicise the event, which began with a prize draw and is expected to raise around £600 for Macmillan Nurses.

“I was absolutely shattered by the end, in fact I was in bed by 7pm.” she said.

Shaving duties fell to long-time family friend and fellow angler Brian Andrews when the hairdresser that Jan had organised couldn’t make it.

By coincidence, Brian was also winner of the angling competition, with a catch of four bream totalling 15lbs 14ozs.

Runner-up was Barry Smith with 14lbs 6ozs, narrowly beating Derek Hale, in third place with 14lbs 4ozs.

The winner’s trophy – the George Bond Shield - is named after Jan’s father, who was a founder member of the club. It was presented by one of the club’s vice presidents Mark Lewis.

Thirty-two anglers took part in the competition this year and stayed on to support Jan’s fund-raising challenge.

“I’d asked them to use a No 2 shaver but they changed it to a No 1 behind my back,” she said. “I actually quite like the way it looks.

“It took twenty to thirty minutes, with everyone gathered around applauding and shouting. My husband David’s face was a picture.”

Jan, who has seven grandchildren aged between six and 21, took up angling when she was just four years old.

She won her first trophy aged five for a roach weighing three or four ounces - the only catch of the day.

“Macmillan Nurses mean a lot to me because I lost my dad and mum, my grandmother and my sister to cancer,” she explained.

She says she’s aiming to raise even more money for her chosen charity next year by swimming the length of the ponds and back.

“I’m more concerned about the pike than the swim itself,” she said. “There’s one enormous female out there that we believe could weigh up to 40lbs. I’ll definitely be wearing a wetsuit!”