David Beckham eat your heart out…

If you want a real haircut at an extraordinary cost look no further than Newsquest scribe Francis Ponder.

Francis, a sports writer on the Colchester Evening Gazette, has just had a £725 restyle – only the money from this ‘number one’ is going to the paper’s charity – Sparkle 2003.

The 59-year-old journalist decided it was time to have his silver locks clipped after fellow journalists and Colchester United fans told him in no uncertain terms he needed a haircut.

Francis, who is known as Frannie, said: “When the Gazette launched its second Sparkle Appeal, I thought – why not a sponsored haircut? After all the grief I had been getting over my hair, I knew people would cough up!

“Now I can brag I have had a £725 haircut. Anything Becks can do, I can do better.”

Francis promised the person who sponsored the most money would have the honour with the clippers. That went to Marie Partner, Colchester United’s Chief Executive, who pledged £50.

“There were certain Colchester United players who wanted to have a go at my hair as revenge for comments I made about them in my reports – but Marie came up with more money,” he revealed.

“And this isn’t the end of my flowing locks – as we speak, I can feel them growing back!”

The Gazette has teamed up with the Tendring Trust for the Disabled to raise £25,000 to build an indoor riding centre in Clacton for children and adults. The Sparkle Appeal will also mean the Trust can offer riding lessons to hundreds more disabled children and adults across north and mid-Essex then it can at the moment.

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