11 years of service, riding in the wind on horses made of steel. Tirelessly fighting by each other's side for truth and justice. Crushing our enemies, seeing them driven before us, and hearing the lamentation of their women. My always loyal and trusty companion, for whom I've often cared for far more than I've cared for myself. The secret to my strength, source of all my powers, and the sole reason anyone's ever dared to call this mortal soul "sexy". 11 years of an emotional and most beautiful ride that, sadly as it is, must finally come to an end.

It's happening: I'm cutting off my hair.

I can hear the screams of despair. I can feel the confusion, anger and awe upon reading such words... surely, it can't be true. It just CAN'T BE.

But fear not, my fellow warriors. Dark and burdensome times may be lurking upon us, but you can rest in the knowledge that this mane of mine will be going out fighting the ultimate fight.

Together, we have set upon us a mighty quest: to raise a minimum target of £500 for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

On a more serious note, and for those of you not in the know, the Foundation was set up by Sophie Lancaster's family and closest friends following a horrific attack on her and her partner Rob in Stubbeylee Park, Bacup, Lancashire, in which the couple were victims of an unprovoked attack by a gang of scumbag thugs. They were picked on simply because they looked different... "goths", "metallers"... the tag really doesn't matter when at the end of the day we're all just people. Rob was left badly hurt after the attack, while Sophie fell into a coma and tragically passed away as a result of her wounds, leaving our world on August 24th, 2007. She was 20 years old at the time.

The charity that was set up in her name, known as The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, focus on creating respect for and understanding of subcultures in our communities, actively working in conjunction with politicians and police forces to ensure individuals who are part of subcultures are protected by the law. They also work on educational projects that challenge the prejudice and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures, and actively campaign to have the UK Hate Crime legislation extended to include people from alternative subcultures or Lifestyle and Dress.

The scenery I've chosen to go ahead with my particular stunt couldn't be any more appropriate. On August 9th I'll be playing the Bloodstock Open Air festival with my band, performing on the Sophie Lancaster Stage, which was named in Sophie's honour following her passing. Thus, I'll be making Bloodstock (the metal mecca of the UK) my last ever gig with long hair, giving the mane a good send off while at the same time contributing to raise awareness and funds for this fantastic charity and help them on their way to continue doing the great work that they do.

To top it all off, I will also be donating the hair to the Little Princess Trust, a UK charity who use hair donations to make real hair wigs for little kids who have lost their hair to cancer treatment.

So, there's the target: £500 and my hair is coming off straight after the show! Please share this page and spread the word... any help and contributions will be hugely appreciated, even if it means I'll be having a little cry at the thought of losing my locks after every donation. The causes are very much worth it!

Thank you