A YORK man's radical change of image could leave his pals saying: "Golly gosh - have you seen Golly?"

For Golly Thorn turned more than a few heads when he stepped out of a city hairdressing salon.

Golly, of Tedder Road, Acomb, had just had his usually conservative hairstyle chopped into a "Mohican" - and dyed bright green.

The 54-year-old grandfather - whose actual name is Godfrey, but is known to everyone as Golly - braved the cut at Harlands hairdressers, Hamilton Drive West, Acomb, to help him raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Relief.

Earlier this year, he lost his wife, Margaret, whom he called Mags, to kidney cancer. She died on January 9, only 12 weeks after she was first diagnosed.

Golly hopes that by running the Dublin Marathon on October 25 he will add hundreds of pounds in sponsorship to the £500 he raised at a pig-racing night at his local pub, The Beagle, on Friday night.

"I decided to get my hair done like this - green, spiky and with Mags' name shaved on the back - so people would know who I was if they wanted to sponsor me. Also, green is the colour of Macmillan Cancer Relief's logo," said Golly, a site manager with Hogg Builders Ltd.

Throughout her short illness, Mrs Thorn was looked after by Macmillan nurses at home, and Golly said he was so grateful for the nurses' help that he wanted to raise money for the charity as a way of saying thank you.

"Without the incredible help of the Macmillan nurses, who sorted everything out for us from wheelchairs and a chairlift to emotional support, I would have just blundered along on my own," he said.

The couple's friend, Pam Dickins, whose mother-in-law treated Mrs Thorn during her illness, has been "an inspiration" in helping Golly train for the upcoming marathon, he said.

"I couldn't have done it without her, she's an absolute star. She raised £115 herself through a Macmillan Biggest Ever Coffee Morning event last month."

Golly plans to keep his green haircut for a month.

To sponsor Golly in the Dublin marathon, phone him on 07884 441282 or send an email to gollythorn@yahoo.co.uk

Updated: 10:27 Tuesday, October 05, 2004