Port Vale stars Adam Yates and Chris Birchall were at Bursley Academy on Friday to be part of something very special.
The duo were there to see 11-year-old Jason Lowe have his head shaved in front of the entire school in order to raise money for charity on his birthday.
Jason’s father, also called Jason, is 43 and was diagnosed with Myeloma in October 2014 and has lost his hair as a result of the treatment he’s received.
But Jason didn’t want his dad to go through this alone and decided he would start fundraising for Myeloma UK, the country’s only charity dedicated to the illness.
“I found out my dad was losing his hair and I thought I’d do it alongside him,” Jason told ValiantPlayerHD.
“I went to see Mr Masterson, my form teacher at the time, and asked him if it was alright to do it and then obviously told my mum and dad.”
So far Jason has raised around £1,500 and his father explained just how proud everyone is, saying: “For a kid of his age to make this kind of decision on his own, it’s a very selfless thing to do.
“It’s been a lovely day, he’s worked hard, we’ve raised so much money and more importantly raised awareness of the disease as well which is critical.”
Port Vale donated a ball signed by the entire first team squad for Jason to put towards his fund raising.
Yates and Birchall were on hand at the assembly to present him with it and the two Valiants were both very touched by what they’d witnessed.
“For an 11-year-old boy to have that in his family and go through all the rough times that come with that disease, I think it’s remarkable really,” Chris said.
“He’s such a brave little boy and to think about how he can raise money for the cause and the disease and how he can make other people’s lives better, I think he’s an inspiration.”
Watch footage of Jason having his head shaved in the view below.