Locks away for Barry!

A DERBY man who grew up in a deaf family has shaved his head to raise funds for a mental health charity that supports people without hearing.

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Barry Clampitt, 42, was raised in a household where both parents and his sister were profoundly deaf and says the fundraiser is his way of giving back to the deaf community and shining a light on the urgent need for accessible mental health support.

Although Barry is hearing, British Sign Language was his first language, and he has worked at the Royal School for the Deaf Derby, in Ashbourne Road, for 20 years.

His head shave, which took place in front of the school, has already raised more than £800 for SignHealth, a national charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of deaf people.

Barry, an education assistant and wellbeing champion at the school, said: "I had the most amazing upbringing and although my family was deaf, it was completely normal to me. I didn't know any different.