Holly Myers, from Marple Bridge, shaved her hair at the Windsor Castle Pub in her home village on Saturday in an emotional evening and raised £1,700 alone on the night. She is personally taking all 17 inches down to Hereford to deliver it in person.
“It’s a shock but I will get used to it,” she commented. “I am lucky that my hair will grow back quickly unlike some of the children that I will be helping.”
The act has been a two-year process and was inspired by a school friend who had donated her hair to the same charity.
Headteacher, Rachael Allen, enthused: “We are so proud of Holly, she has shown real tenacity and determination in donating her hair and is setting a brilliant example to her peers.”
The Little Princess Trust was launched in 2006 by the parents of Hannah Tarplee who was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour and died in 2005. It provides real hair wigs free of charge to children and young people up to the age of 24 who have lost their own hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses.
It’s a shock but I will get used to it. I am lucky that my hair will grow back quickly unlike some of the children that I will be helping – Holly Myers, Fundraiser
Chair of Governors at Hulme Hall Grammar, Tim Lowe, was one of the co-founders and is a Trustee of the charity. He was a former Headmaster of the Hereford school at the time when Hannah was a pupil and is still involved with the charity.
“It takes a lot of time and effort to ensure the hair is in the right condition to be used,” said Tim. “Holly is following in the footsteps of many other wonderful people including Jessie J and more recently, the Duchess of Cambridge, who donated her hair in January this year.”
Holly’s hair will be sent off to China where skilled specialists blend the hair donations together to create their wigs. It can take between 7-10 individual donations to make a single wig which will then be given to a child in the UK or Ireland.
Anyone willing to donate can visit her Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/david-myers17
