Give a sick child the gift of hair for Christmas - Little Princess Trust

Christmas is seen as the season of goodwill and the actions of countless volunteers and fundraisers are proving that there are still people willing to spare a thought for others. Up and down the country, people have been donating their freshly cut hair for use in wigs by the Little Princess Charity.

The Little Princess Trust is a charity that which supplies free of charge, real-hair wigs to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland that have sadly lost their own hair through cancer treatment.  The charity, which was founded in 2006, has recently reached a huge milestone when it gave away its 2,000th wig to a sick child.

The Trust relies solely on the generosity of individual donors and community fundraisers organising all sorts of events to raise money to enable the charity to purchase more real-hair wigs for children.  Many kind supporters often choose to donate their own hair for it to be made into a wig for a child by organising a sponsored haircut.  Details of how to donate hair (minimum length 7”/17cm) can be found on the Little Princess Trust website. Jessie J kindly donated her hair in March to the charity when she had it cut in aid of Comic Relief.

One brave teenager recently decided to donate her hair.  Unfortunately before she had time to post it to the charity, she herself was sadly diagnosed with cancer.  In this very unusual situation, the charity arranged for the girl to have a wig made using her own hair.

Here are some of the generous adults and children that are in the process of raising money or have donated their hair to children all around the country who need their help:

Emma Walker

10-year-old Emma Walker had been growing her hair for five years without a trim before she heard of the Little Princess Trust and decided she wanted to help. With the help of a local hairdresser, Emma donated 10 inches of her waist-length hair for use in making wigs and raised £160 in sponsorship in the process.

Marie Strickland and Pam Cox

This mother and daughter team from Ilkeston both decided to donate some of their hair for the trust. Hairdressers managed to cut 13 inches from mum Pam, and a further 16 inches from Marie, along with £800 in sponsorship. Speaking to her local newspaper Marie said, “I didn’t dare have my head shaved but they will make wigs out of the hair we send which is what we wanted.”

Marie's Fundraising Page

Izaak Ellis

12-year-old Izaak has been under pressure from friends, family and his teachers to have a haircut for a few years now, and this month he finally had a trim. Izaak decided he wanted to raise money for a cancer charity in honour of his grandmother who died from the disease, and that the hair collected should be used by the Little Princess Trust for use in a wig.

Izaak's Fundraising Page

Freya Norton

As well as donating her prized ponytail, 8-year-old Freya raised over £500 in donations more than enough to cover the £350 needed to make a hairpiece for a child. Despite the initial concerns of her mother, Freya was determined to cut her hair off and donate it to a child who didn’t have any. She is said to be thrilled with her new, much shorter hairstyle.

Freya's Fundraising Page

Charlotte Clark

Charlotte Clark underwent a full head shave in front of classmates at her school. The 13-year-old from Coningsby decided to undergo the dramatic hair cut to raise money for cancer research after her mother was suspected to have some form of the disease. As well as donating her hair for wig-making by the Little Princess Trust, Charlotte also raised more than £100 in cash.

More about Little Princesses

The Trust collaborates sometimes with other charities to help children.  On a number of occasions this year, the Little Princess Trust has worked with the Make A Wish Foundation, to help grant wishes to terminally ill boys and girls by providing real-hair wigs to sick children hoping to be Rapunzel or a princess for the day, for instance.

The Little Princess Trust receives so many cards, letters and photographs thanking the charity for help at such a difficult time.  Receiving a wig can improve the child’s self-esteem and it can help them feel more like their old-self, before their diagnosis.

At The Belgravia Centre we help to support the Little Princess Trust and we ask that you do the same, whether by a donation of hair or money. You can help by donating to any of the fundraisers above, or...

FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP THE LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST