Philip Poole has his purple coloured thatch removed by Helen Flowers and Louise Sheppard at the Bible Society

Staff at Swindon based charity, Bible Society, hoped to raise £1,500 by sponsoring one of their bosses to shave off his locks to raise money for Bibles to be provided at immigration detention centres around the country.

On 20 December £2,000 was donated to help Business Development Director Philip Poole swap his head of hair for a woolly hat. Describing why he committed himself to the shave, he said, "when we heard of the desire for Bibles, we knew we had to respond. We hope to provide Bibles free of charge for all those people at the Centres who want one."

Earlier this year, Bible Society was approached by the Immigration Detention Centre at Gatwick Airport regarding the need for Bibles. Because many asylum seekers come from backgrounds where spirituality is taken for granted, religious life is flourishing with Centres holding up to seven chapel services a day. Demand for Bibles is outstripping supply, so Bible Society has now launched a national appeal to help raise funds.

Each Bible costs £4 to supply. Senior Chaplain of the Gatwick Immigration Centre, Erik Lundberg said, "over 5,000 people pass through the Centre each year, 1,500 of these taking part in chapel activities. God inspires them to take advantage of the time they have here. People rediscover their faith; there are huge numbers who have rededicated their lives to God."

Philip's chilly December means the Gatwick Immigration Centre will receive 500 Bibles in time for Christmas.

To help Bible Society with this challenge, donations can be sent to Bible Society, Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon, SN5 7DG, marked "Bibles for Immigration.