Wellingborough: Crazy Hats breast cancer charity makes final donation

Glennis Hooper's Crazy Hats Appeal has raised almost £3.5m for breast cancer services since it was formed in 2001

A breast cancer charity which has raised almost £3.5m over 20 years has made its final donation.

The Crazy Hats Appeal gave £390,000 for a new lounge and waiting area for breast cancer patients at Kettering Hospital's Treatment Centre.

Over the years the charity has held 17 sponsored walks and was even featured in the House of Commons.

Founder Glennis Hooper said closing the charity was "very sad," but added: "None of us are getting any younger."

The charity was formed in 2001 by former Kettering head teacher Ms Hooper, 67.

She started wearing hats when she lost her hair while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Crazy Hats held 17 sponsored walks in Wicksteed Park, Kettering

Ms Hooper said: "It was also cold so I chose to wear different hats.

"While trying a lot on in Debenhams my friend and I got the giggles and I thought, 'If I've got to wear a hat - the children at school could too'."

An initial fundraising event at the school followed, raising more than £20,000 and the charity snowballed from there.

Although that fundraiser was its first event, Crazy Hats' first donation actually came from an 86-year-old Kettering Hospital patient called Margaret.

Ms Hooper said: "I call her 'Margaret '86' and will always admire her determination and spirit as she went through her treatment.

"Talking about my crazy idea she produced a £5 from her purse and said, 'you are going to make a difference.' I hope we have."

Over the years, the charity has held 17 sponsored walks at Kettering's Wicksteed Park, as well as hundreds of smaller events.

In all it has contributed £1.4m to Kettering Hospital's breast service, with the money paying for items including x-ray machines, gamma probes and a cafe for patients.

In 2016, the charity made an appearance in Parliament when Wellingborough MP Peter Bone donned one of the hats to celebrate local charities day.

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Salam Musa, the clinical lead for Kettering Hospital's breast service, said: "The charity has helped us to constantly improve and update our equipment to enable us to meeting growing demand for breast cancer care - something needed by about 600 new patients in Northamptonshire each year."

The hospital's chief executive, Deborah Needham, said Ms Hooper and the Crazy Hats team had been "absolutely extraordinary" over the years.