After seeing an advert on television, ten-year-old Ellie Walton, from Westfield, took the brave step of having her long hair cut last Saturday, to be donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides children undergoing cancer treatments with real hair wigs.

Ellie, who has never had anything more than a trim, had her hair washed, dried, plaited and then cut, so that the seven inch plait can be sent to the charity, which will use her hair to make a new wig. Cut Above, at Westfield, provided the service for free, with the money it would have cost going straight back into fundraising.

It costs £350 to make a real hair wig for a child, and the trust will provide children fighting cancer with wigs for the duration of their treatment, or as a one-off for children with conditions such as alopecia.

So far, Ellie has managed to raise nearly £600, with the extra money being forwarded to the charity, with the hope that she may be able to fund two wigs. Any readers who would like to help can donate at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/elliewalton

“We are so proud of her for giving up something she loves,” said Ellie’s mother, Kelly Walton. “She said that she is looking forward to making a little girl or boy smile, and is glad that she is donating her hair to someone who needs it.”

The Little Princess Trust was launched in 2006 by the parents of Hannah Tarplee after her sad death from cancer in 2005. At that time, it was difficult for quality wigs to be found for children who were undergoing the trauma of losing their hair. The charity is also now looking at funding research into causes of childhood cancer and trying to find ways of minimising the effects of chemotherapy in children. For details, visit: www.littleprincesses.org.uk