When Clare Miller was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was determined not to let it beat her.

So Mrs Miller, who is the manager of the Wisdom Hospice charity shop in Sittingbourne High Street, decided to take the opportunity of turning her condition into something positive.

Aware that chemotherapy treatment might cause her hair loss, she decided to pre-empt the disease by having her shoulder-length hair shaved off in a sponsored scalping to raise money for the hospice.

She was then delighted when a number of family and friends announced they would join her.

Mrs Miller said: "Unfortunately we had to close the charity shop on March 23 due to Covid.

"It was just 10 days later, that I had my diagnosis."

On Sunday she and her friends gathered in the garden of her home in Lynsted, while a stylist from Hair By Nicola went to work with the clippers.

By the end of the session, the group had raised £1,600 for the hospice in Rochester that provides care for those with terminal illnesses.

Mrs Miller was joined by her boss John Hale-Brown and his partner Ashley, her husband Christopher, and friends and colleagues Karen Reid, Vince Galloway, Samantha Franklin, Nathan Bennett, Lynne Cook and Jo Gormley.

Meanwhile, Mrs Miller's own treatment is going well. She said: "I've had two operations but the doctors believe they have removed all the cancer. I am undergoing chemotherapy as a precaution until November, but with luck I shall be clear."

There was no history of breast cancer in her family, and Mrs Miller was unaware that she had it until she underwent a mammogram on the spur of the moment.

She said: "There was a screening van in Morrisons car park, so I called in. It was a good job I did! It just shows you should always take the opportunity if offered it. It's a no-brainer."

In the UK, an average of 11,500 women and 80 men die from breast cancer every year. Early diagnosis is key to survival.

Mrs Miller deserves some luck after the kindness she has shown others. She and her husband were foster parents for KCC for 17 years and currently help to prepare care-leavers for independent living. Mrs Miller said: "We have been doing this for about three years. It's very satisfying to see the youngsters go on to adulthood and thrive."

You can help boost the total raised for the Wisdom Hospice by donating here.

For information about breast cancer, visit here.

For information about the Wisdom Hospice, visit here.

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