A charity Pink Day taking place in Helston this Friday will be followed by a fundraising auction later thatevening.

Hairdresser Becky Cross, who owns the Head Rush salon in Coinagehall Street, is raising money for the Mermaid Centre at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

She wants to raise awareness of breast cancer and also give thanks for the care she has received |since undergoing a risk reducing double mastectomy in January – effectively a way of trying to prevent breast cancer before it strikes.

It is after the 30-year-old discovered she was the carrier of a faulty BRCA2 gene, which, when combined with medication she already takes following a kidney transplant, put her at extremely high risk of getting the disease.

To help raise funds she is holding a day of fundraising on Friday, including coffee and cakes served in the salon all day.

Staff will be donating half of their takings for that day, for hair, beauty and nails, and even people without an appointment can go up to try their hand at the raffle in the salon, which is upstairs above Solsken.

In addition to this, there will now be an auction at the Angel Hotel, from around 8.30pm, with bidding for some of the larger prizes donated.

Prizes for both the raffle and auction have been donated by businesses in Helston and the surrounding area.

They include a carvery for two |at the Norway Inn, Sunday |lunch for two at the Angel Hotel, a family swim for four at Falmouth’s St Michael’s Hotel, a voucher for the Lime Green Submarine gift shop in Helston, a rug from Carpet Connections |and gifts from Solsken, Outback Trading and Joy Williams. Becky |is still waiting to hear back from |a few more.