New Year, new ‘do' for Rugby schoolgirl who braved the chop to help children with cancer

A Rugby schoolgirl has said goodbye to her long locks to help the Little Princess Trust.

As well as donating her tresses, Evie Cockcroft wanted to raise £550 for the charity which provides real hair wigs for children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and other conditions.

Evie, eight, had the chop at Simply Hair in Long Lawford and has smashed her target.

She said: "I wanted to do this so that a little girl who doesn't have any hair could get a wig. People can be mean to those who don't have hair and so having a wig could give a little girl some confidence.

"I have always wanted to grow my hair as long as possible, but when I heard of the Little Princess Trust I wanted to give my long hair to someone who couldn't grow it themselves."

Parents Cadi and Joe said they couldn’t be prouder of their daughter.

"Even getting her hair trimmed was a constant struggle of her begging us not to take too much off,” Cadi said.

"Evie asked us to research the charity and within a split second, she asked if she could donate her hair. I made her wait six months to make sure she definitely wanted to do it. We didn't mention it to her but she kept asking to do it.”

They set up a Just Giving page and have managed to go beyond the target.

Her mum and dad agreed: “We are so proud of her. She was nervous that there may be some negative reactions from peers at her school from such a drastic change, but she kept saying she didn't mind if there was because she was giving a wig to someone who really needed it. She knew it would give them confidence – and that makes Evie amazing in our eyes.”

The Little Princess Trust provides free real hair wigs to children and young people, up to 24 years, who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions.

To donate to Evie’s fundraiser, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/cadi-cockcroft-1672842176128?