A charity volunteer has braved the shave to raise funds for a Norfolk children’s charity and also to donate her locks to the Little Princess Trust.

Charlene Hemmant, 35 from Norwich, took up the challenge to help raise money for family support charity, Home-Start Norfolk.

Ms Hemmant has been volunteering as a home visitor for the charity for a year and provides weekly support to a family with young children.

She decided to have her hair shaved off to raise money for the Norfolk charity, and also helped another charity by donating the shaved off hair.

She donated her hair to The Little Princess Trust, which makes real hair wigs for children who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other illnesses.

Ms Hemmant said: “I wish I’d known about Home-Start when I was a young parent. There were times when I needed some extra support. I really enjoy volunteering with a family and its great to be able to give something back.

“I had been thinking about shaving my hair off for a while now, so decided to raise some money at the same time.”

The charity changed the lives of 1164 children in 2017 by offering vital support to families with young children affected by issues such as post-natal depression, isolation, illness or disability.

The charity provides a lifeline to parents across the county with the help of its 153 volunteers.

Helen Brown, fundraising manager for the charity, said: “We are so grateful to Charlene for helping us raise vital funds to support Home-Start Norfolk.

“We value Charlene’s role as a home-visiting volunteer, but she really has gone beyond the call of duty this time to support us. We are facing significant funding challenges at present and so are particularly grateful to Charlene for fundraising for us.”

Home-start Norfolk relies entirely on grants, trusts and donations to enable them to continue to offer support to vulnerable children and families in the county.

Ms Hemment has raised £425 through her online fundraising page. To donate, visit mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/charlenehemmant1