Raising money for charity is always a noble goal, and one which we all support.
It speaks to the very soul of our community as individuals seek to aid the betterment of society in some way or another.
Often it involves pushing oneself physically to complete a challenge, while others will grow out their hair to donate to make a wig. Others may get crafty in support of a great cause.
Now we have the efforts of Simon Hamon, who is aiming to wear a different tie every working day, for as long as he can.
He started his tie challenge at the beginning of February, and is convinced people will be surprised at how far he could potentially go with this sartorial challenge.
The inspiration for his tie challenge came from a humble background, starting when he retired from Guernsey Police.
“When I retired from there and started in the Royal Court, I was able to start wearing some more of my own ties and suits again,” he explained.
“Last year, just for a bit of fun, I decided I would wear a few of my ties, a different one every day without really telling anybody. I did it for a couple of months, and I thought I’ve got to find a way of supporting a charity.
“I’ve always supported various different charities through my life, and I’ve worked very closely in the courts with the Bailiwick of Guernsey Victim Support & Witness Service, and they’ve been advertising because they just celebrated a significant anniversary,” he said.
“I thought, what I could do is I could raise some money for them.
“They assist people that are going through all sorts of issues, but predominantly with court appearances for both family matters as well as criminal matters, as either witnesses or people under investigation potentially.”
Simon launched a Facebook page, to share a gallery of his ‘Ties-so-far’. Some are accompanied by a history of the tie, and interesting facts about where they were bought and what they cost.
He’s also launched a Giving.gg page with a fundraising target of £500.
The question remains; how far can he go? Just how vast is this Guernseyman’s collection of neckwear?
“I don’t think I’ve got a problem, although my wife would probably disagree,” he admitted.
“I think most people probably have a good five or six ties, which they wear in regular rotation if they have a necessity to wear ties.
“That kind of fashion, and particularly with business wear, doesn’t really go out of date.
“Some of my ties are years old, but they’re just as good to wear now as they were then. I mean, one of the ties I’ve got, I bought out of a secondhand shop years ago, but it was from Keyho, the gentleman Outfitters. I think I remember the store in the 1970s.”
“It’s as wearable now as it was then, and I think that’s the great thing about them. You know, as long as you keep them in good condition, you don’t dribble your gravy down them and stuff, you can pretty much wear them all the time!”
You can find out more by visiting the Tie Challenge Guernsey Facebook page HERE, and the page to donate via Giving.gg HERE.
