A HAIR-RAISING challenge has been made to help raise funds for a street theatre show to mark the 1,300th anniversary of St Wilfrid’s death.

Ripon Cathedral is putting on a play called St Wilfrid of Ripon or a Tale of Two Tonsures later this year.

Funding has been secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other groups, but as the Arts Council could not help funding is tight.

To help with this the play’s director Chris Taylor, plans to be sponsored to have a triangular pattern shaved into his hair like Celtic monks of the past.

This will only take place though if he can find a local priest prepared to have his head shaved with the traditional circular monk’s cut.

It is proposed to perform St Wilfrid of Ripon or a Tale of Two Tonsures in Ripon on July 25 in the market place at 11.30am and outside the cathedral at 1.30pm.

The drama is being put together by a group formed under the Discovering Ripon Cathedral project which began in 2007.

It revolves around the life of St Wilfrid who turned a small rural North Yorkshire monastery into the Ripon Cathedral of today.

A determined man of firm views he wanted the English church to change from its Celtic past and he helped set the tone of English religion for 900 years.

One of the things he help change was the shape of the shaved area, or tonsure, on the top on monk’s heads.

Guy Wilson, the play’s director, said: "It’s an unusual way of making money but we’re looking for a challenger from the Ripon an Leeds diocese.

"We hope someone will come forward and do it to help us."

Anyone interested in having their hair shaved, or in supporting the project, should contact Guy Wilson on 01347-868126.