Granny's Charity Head Shave Shown on TV Screens

A grandmother from Bradford has raised over £2,000 for charity after shaving off her hair to help make wigs for children with hair loss.

A film of Grace Elliot having her head shaved was aired on the big TV screens at Bradford’s City Park to help raise awareness of the charities that are benefiting from her donated hair. In addition to raising money for the NSPCC and Marie Curie Cancer Care via her fundraising page (which is still accepting donations), Grace had also been growing her hair for several years, so that she could donate it to children’s charity Little Princess Trust.

“People have told me I’ve been brave for shaving my hair off”, said Grace, “but I’m not. The people that wake up in a morning with hair on their pillow, they are brave. I have a choice - they don’t.” Story continues after the video.

Little Princess Trust

Little Princess Trust was set up to provide real-hair wigs to boys and girls in the UK and Ireland who have lost their hair through cancer treatment. Recently, the trust have also been helping children who have lost their hair for other reasons, such as Alopecia Areata.

The charity was set up when the founders had difficulty finding suitable wigs for their daughter, who was suffering from cancer. Speaking about the charity, they said, “...most boys and girls cope remarkably well when their hair falls out. For some children this can however be very upsetting. This is particularly true of young girls, hence the name, Little Princess.”

Donating hair for wigs

If you or someone you know is considering donating hair for children with hair loss, the hair will need to meet certain criteria. The cut hair should be at least seven inches long, and can be any colour, curly or straight. However, permed hair or hair that is more than 10% grey cannot be used. Donated hair also needs to be recently washed and cut and sent in a plait or ponytail. All hair donors receive a certificate from the trust.

Once received by Little Princess Trust, the hair is sent to China to be made into special small sized wigs. The wigs are created free of charge for the charity, but would normally cost over £2,000 each. Because of the high level of demand, the charity also has to purchase additional wigs.

The Belgravia Centre is a proud supporter of Little Princess Trust, so if you would like to help children affected by hair loss, visit their website for more information about how you can get involved.

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