Frome parents prepare to ‘brave the shave’ for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood

A group of Frome parents is preparing to take part in a fundraising challenge to raise awareness and funds for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC).

Known as Team Brave the Shave for Maeve, the parents will come together on Saturday 15th March, to shave heads for charities that support families following the loss of a child due to sudden unexplained death.

The team is taking on the challenge in tribute to Maeve, the niece of one of the organisers, Kerry Meech, who died suddenly in 2022. Maeve’s death was attributed to SUDC — the sudden and unexplained death of a child aged 1 to 18, where no cause can be found after a thorough investigation.

“Sadly, my mischievous and beautiful niece, Maeve, who lived in Devon, passed away unexpectedly in her sleep in 2022. She was just three months away from turning two years old,” says Kerry.

“Maeve visited Frome regularly to see her cousin and best buddy, Tove, my daughter. She visited Frome a couple of weeks before she passed; she and Tove enjoyed a stroll through Rodden Meadow, having their usual shared sausage roll.”

The team is raising funds for two charities: SUDC UK, which supports bereaved families, and Balloons, a Devon-based children’s bereavement charity.

Following Maeve’s death, the family was supported by SUDC UK, and Kerry says the shave is a way to ‘give back.’

“The support that SUDC UK provided my family during their darkest days was invaluable, so this fundraiser is my small way of thanking them for the support they continue to show my family,” says Kerry.

Kerry says she has not had a haircut in two years, and what was initially planned as a solo shave has turned into a team effort, with the group now raising £1,330, after initially setting out to raise £500.

They are aiming to reach £2,500 by the end of their campaign.

The shave is due to be held three days before Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Awareness Day, which this year will be marked on 18th March.

Members of the local children’s gardening club Sprouts will be making the first snips. “I run the seed library and Sprouts, and many of its younger members think I am absolutely bonkers shaving my head,” says Kerry. “I thought it would be fun to swap the secateurs for scissors and allow them to make the first snips.”

Along with donating funds to the two charities, Kerry will also be donating her hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs free of charge to children and young people who have lost their hair due to cancer.

Shorter hair will be donated to the local community compost organisation, Loop, which will use the clippings as a not-so-secret ingredient in their compost.

Kerry said, “40 children are affected every year in the UK. That is more than the number of young child deaths due to traffic accidents, fires, or drowning, and comparable to one to two seemingly healthy children dying every fortnight.”

Team Brave the Shave for Maeve will be facing the razor during SUDC awareness month. The shave will take place on Saturday 15th March from 4pm at Owen’s Sausages & Hams at the Station Approach. Everyone is welcome to watch the event and support the cause, with donations being collected for SUDC UK and Balloons.

To support the campaign, visit the JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/team/teambravetheshaveformaeve

Pictured: Alex, Kerry and Oli who are part of the team, Inset: Maeve