Two north Norfolk teenagers have raised more than £450 for sick children, by having their waist-length locks cut for the first time since they were at primary school.
When 14-year-old Sheringham High School student Anna Brady heard about the Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for youngsters who have lost their hair through illnesses including alopecia and cancer, she decided to do something to help.
'I thought about what it must be like for children who not only have to put up with going through treatment, but also have to go through the stress of losing their hair,' Anna said.
Keen to lend a bit of moral support, Anna's best friend, Molly Knapp-Taylor, also 14, volunteered to have her hair cut too.
'I wanted to help Anna as we both value our hair quite a lot, but we know that it is going to grow back, whereas these children don't,' Molly explained.
After setting themselves a target of raising £350 – the cost of making a wig - the pair put up posters and signed up sponsors among friends, family and school staff.
They also enlisted the help of Sheringham hairdressers Zest, where stylists Tisha West and Dani Reynolds offered to cut their hair free of charge.
Anna and Molly exceeded their target within weeks and now hope to top the £500-mark.
Watched by friends and family, the girls, neither of whom had sported short styles since the age of 6, sat side by side while their waist-length hair was cut to just above shoulder-level.
'We were a bit nervous, but I think we both feel proud of ourselves now we have done it,' Anna said.
The girls' hair will be used by the Little Princess Trust to make wigs, with the cash they have raised also donated to the charity.
Anna's mum, Sue, who is head teacher at Sheringham Primary School Nursery, said: 'I feel very proud of the girls as, for anyone, giving away your hair is a really big thing, but for a teenage girl, it shows a real level of maturity and compassion for others.'
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