Caremark Thanet Raise Money for East Kent Hospitals' Dementia Appeal, or "The Waxing"

Dementia Action Week

Dementia Action week took place between the 21-27 May. We wanted to do something to raise money for the East Kent Hospitals' Dementia appeal during this period and hit on the idea of someone having his legs and chest waxed. However, things did not run to plan. When our original volunteer became unavailable with less than a week to go we were left asking: "what do we do?"

We have supported the East Kent Hospitals' Dementia Appeal in the past and we all knew that to let them down was unthinkable. Our distress call was answered by one of our fabulous care and support workers, Jerry. At very short notice, Jerry agreed to step up, lie down and place himself in the very capable hands of the Beauty Lady, Julia Marrison.

However, what Jerry did not realise was that there were going to be a number of other hands very eager to help him shed his body hair.

"The Waxing"

We'd like to extend our thanks to Karen Scrivener, Dementia Specialist Nurse and Vicky Adley, the Fundraising and Development Officer at East Kent Hospitals for coming along on the day and making a significant contribution to Jerry's hair removal.

Further contributions to the new hairless Jerry were made by: Kerry Hill, Xana Welch, Abbi Downton and Jayne Costain.

Video production was by Jemma Clayton. We understand that the full length recording of the "The Waxing" has become a cult classic- you can find the expurgated version on our Facebook page. There are rumours that a major Hollywood studio is seriously considering financing a big budget blockbuster of "The Waxing" with a "triple A listed male star" as good as signed up to play the lead role. The scheduled release date is October 31 2018.

Our biggest thank you has to go to Jerry. He was very bold to lie down on that table: and very bald when he got off it. Only Jerry's legs and chest were at any point placed at the risk of harm. Contrary to the reports that you may have seen on social media, we refused to allow Jerry to have a body double for the close up scenes, and we can, therefore, reassure the public that at no time were any small furry animals harmed. We understand that Jerry has fully recovered; that there is unlikely to be any lasting damage and that his life is now returning to normal.

We're not sure how much we have raised, yet. Our aim was to hit £700. If you would like to contribute it is not too. late. 

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email: garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at: www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Caremark Thanet Raise Money for Dementia Action Week

About Dementia

Dementia is not a disease; it is caused by other diseases with Alzheimer's disease being by far the biggest cause.  Dementia respects no-one. It has no sympathy for illness, for gender or status. It is not a natural part of aging though age makes us more susceptible. Dementia will touch the lives of many of us. It is estimated that in Thanet there are over 2000 people living with dementia and this figure will rise to approximately 3000 in 2026. In Kent the figures are over 22 000 people currently living with dementia, rising to over 30 000 in 2026.

Caremark Thanet's Dementia Support

As things stand, there is no cure. There are, though, things that can be done to help those living with dementia and their families. These things often cost money. And that money is often raised through charitable donations. At Caremark Thanet, we were trying to think of what we could do for Dementia Action Week, which this year takes place between the 21 and 27 May. We have supported the East Kent Hospitals' Dementia Appeal in the past and thought that me might like to do something again for that appeal.The question was what precisely could we do?

Our question was answered for us by Jay Harrison, pictured below, who volunteered to have his legs and chest waxed to raise money for this very worthwhile charity. 

Jay Harrison before his waxing

Jay who works for Caremark Thanet, is no stranger to charitable fundraising. In June 2017, he made his debut as a stand-up comedian at our charity comedy night held at Bernie's Chocolate Bar in Margate.  Let's face it, to do a stand-up comedy routine takes some courage, but probably not as much courage as having your legs waxed. With Jay's help we are trying to raise £700. If you'd like to donate you can do so by going to Jay's JustGiving page. 

Jay will be having his head shaved at 3.00 pm on 21 May 2018 at Caremark Thanet's offices - Unit A5A Continental Approach, Margate, CT9 4JG. His legs and chest will be waxed two days later on 23 May 2018 at the same location - the time to be confirmed.



Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email: garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at: www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.