Charity News at The Mount Salon.
The Mount Salon is situated in the heart of Wellington, Somerset, and from our opening in 2004, giving back to our community has always been very important to us. We have taken part in many local fundraisers over the years and we regularly work with charities including The Little Princess Trust, which provides real hair wigs to children with hair loss, and My New Hair, a charity that provides wig support for medical hair loss.
Throughout 2019, our salon charity was The Meningitis Research Foundation, an incredible charity that aims for “A world free from meningitis and septicaemia”. Over 1,000 people a day die of the disease and many clients at The Mount Salon have shared stories of how they have been affected by this. In 2018, salon owners Alison and Carly lost their cousin, Julie Perkins, who died suddenly at the age of 51 after believing she had contracted a bout of flu. We were inspired to do something to help pay for research in her memory, and this prompted a year of activities in aid of the charity.
Our gorgeous Christmas MoroccanOil hamper.
In March, we celebrated our 15th birthday. As this anniversary is celebrated with crystal, we decided to hold a black-tie Crystal Ball at the beautiful Woodlands Castle in Ruishton. 140 guests were welcomed with champagne before enjoying a formal sit-down dinner and then proceeded to dance the night away on the appropriately-coloured purple dance floor! Lots of local businesses supported the ball by donating fantastic auction prizes, and our team loved the opportunity to get dressed up in their finest! The night was great fun and raised over £3,000 for The Meningitis Research Foundation, all whilst celebrating the salon’s 15th birthday with clients, family and friends of the salon.
Raffles were also held throughout the year. Salon guest Debbie made us a delicious Lindt chocolate tree at Easter, and we raffled a gorgeous MoroccanOil hamper at Christmas, filled with champagne and luxurious MoroccanOil hair products. We drew the lucky winners in an exciting live feed on social media.
Ali and Carly’s cousin, Julie, who sadly died from Meningitis in January 2018 after experiencing flu-like symptoms.
The Mount Salon Team all dressed up in their finest at the Crystal Ball.
Alison outside the steps of The Mount just before embarking on her 630-mile challenge around the SW Coast Path.
Alison undertook an epic adventure last spring. In just 30 days she walked the entire length of the South West Coast Path, the longest national trail in the country at 630 miles! The route started in Minehead in Somerset, then continued through Devon and Cornwall before finishing in Poole, Dorset. Lots of people joined her for different sections of the walk and many friends and family contributed by sponsoring her overnight accommodation. Ali even took her scissors in case anyone needed a cliff-top hair cut on the way around! This was an incredible journey that inspired many people - her daily video diary became must see viewing with many clients following the adventure and sending messages of support. Alison originally hoped to raise £1,000 from the walk, but as it stands today, she is at a new target of £5,000!
Our final total for The Meningitis Research Foundation was £8,524.49
2020 is a new year and the big-hearted team at The Mount have already turned their attention to other causes. Creative director Kellie was incredibly moved by the devastation caused by the Australian bush fires, especially the koalas being rescued from the fires. In January, all the team got baking with a cake sale to raise funds. From Sophie’s Chocolate orange brownies, to Harriette’s flapjacks and Emma’s rocky roads, the whole team got involved and so far, we have raised £120 for Aussie charities.
Thank you so much to everyone who sponsored us in 2019, bought raffle tickets and cakes and sent lovely messages. It has meant so much to us and we have been absolutely overwhelmed by all the generosity! Here’s looking forward to another successful year of fundraising activities for more fantastic causes!