Family raises more than £13,000 in memory of much-loved hairdresser

Born in Ripon, Sarah Hargreaves worked as a hairdresser in the city, as well as Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Sarah, 43, was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 2025, which later spread to her liver. Her family were initially told she had just two to eight weeks to live.

But Sarah defied that prognosis, living for another 14 months and giving her family precious extra time together.

Sarah's mum, Yvonne, was due to turn 70 the following March, and the family were grateful to be able to celebrate the milestone together.

Rather than receive gifts, Sarah and Yvonne decided instead to give something back.

They began planning a summer charity party to mark Yvonne's 70th birthday, with one of Sarah's last wishes being to support the Sir Robert Ogden Unit in Harrogate, where she had received treatment.

However, Sarah died on May 11, 2026, before the party could take place in July.

But the celebration went ahead in her honour, raising £11,754 for the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre, a purpose-built cancer care unit at Harrogate District Hospital.

Yvonne said the fundraising was a way of fulfilling Sarah's wish to support the centre that had cared for her.

“Sarah wanted to give something back,” she said.

A further £2,000 was collected at Ripon Cathedral and at Sarah's wake, all of which was donated to Saint Michael's Hospice, where Sarah spent her final four days.

Yvonne was the driving force behind the fundraising, with the family thanking everyone who supported the cause and attended the party, funeral and wake.

She said: “Their kindness has turned grief into something lasting: a gift of comfort and care for others, in Sarah's memory.”

The family said they were hugely grateful to everyone who had helped make the fundraising such a success and create a lasting tribute to Sarah.