AN actor raised more than £600 for a children’s cancer charity when he embraced his role in a popular play.

David Moore, a member of Weymouth drama group, brought the character John to life in the production of Calendar Girls at the Pavilion.

David, who lives in Broadmayne, said: “The character suffers from leukaemia and has chemotherapy, so I had to have my head shaved to portray that.

“I decided if I was going to do that, it was an ideal opportunity to raise some money for charity at the same time.”

The character’s illness prompts his wife and her friends to produce the calendar in the play, and David’s fellow actors made their own version alongside the production to raise money for Leukaemia Research.

He said: “I chose another charity – CLIC Sargent – to benefit from the sponsorship I raised through having my head shaved.

“They do a great job and I had absolutely tremendous support from the community.

“Charities are going through a hard time financially at the moment so it’s important that we do what we can to help.”

David raised £638.56 for CLIC Sargent, starting with £21 raised with a collection tin at the event attended by friends and family where his head was shaved by Derrick Leyton-Smith.

He said: “It was a pleasure to be able to do something like this and I’m very pleased at how much was raised.

“It’s not just about raising money.

“It’s an opportunity to raise the profile of the charity, and to raise the profile of the Pavilion.”