A salon marking its 40th anniversary is in the middle of completing 40 ambitious challenges to raise money for its founder, who died from cancer.

Clipso in Queens Road in Watford has been trading ever since Terry Calvert set up the hairdressers 40 years ago.

But seven years ago, Mr Calvert died from cancer at the age of 58, and in memory of the salon’s founder, Clipso has come up with a number of very different challenges to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

They include an 18,000ft sky dive, a zip wire ‘flight’ in Dubai, taking part in the London Marathon, and a London to Brighton bike ride.

But the salon has also come up with a couple of ideas which are a little silly, including eating 40 bugs and handling spiders, and a full body wax.

The team have raised £1,500 of their £5,000 target.

General manager at Clipso in Queens Road, Scott Halsey. Said: “I worked with Terry for 14 years and he was a larger than life character. We came up with this 40 challenges over the year to honour him and it is going really well so far.”

Clipso, which has just been named as a finalist in the British Hairdressing Business Awards, is offering a special gift.

Anyone who was born in 1978, the year Clipso was founded, can claim a free £40 gift card, which can be used straight away in the salon. You just need to provide proof of your birth year in the form of a passport or driving license.

To support Clipso’s fundraising mission, visit www.justgiving.com/clipsosalons