A Rochford councillor has dyed his hair purple to raise awareness for a friend in serious need of life-saving surgery.

Mike Webb, councillor for Hawkwell East took the plunge in support of SurvivalSurgery4Sarah, a campaign for his friend, Sarah Gearing, 40, who needs vital spinal surgery to save her life.

The campaign hopes to raise £130,000 so that Sarah can fly to Spain to undertake the procedure next month.

So far, with offline donations the fund has raised £66,000 for Sarah, and Mr Webb’s contribution amounted to £1,000. Mr Webb said: “Sarah is a well loved member of our local community of Rochford and a dear friend to many people. I would encourage you to generously support her campaign.” To donate, please go to justgiving.com/SurvivalSurgery4Sarah