Rebecca (11) cuts off her long locks for Little Princess Trust charity

Rebecca with her long hair...before the big cut! INBM15-16S

The 11-year-old Ballymoney Model Primary School pupil has always been a kind, sensitive girl who thinks a lot about others and when she heard about the work of the Princess Trust she was eager to do all she could to help.

The Little Princess Trust was set up in 2005 and provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland that have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.

Rebecca from Gracehill Road explained: “I had the idea that I wanted to have my hair cut off and donate it to make into a wig for some little girl or boy who was ill and had lost their hair.

Nicola Murray making the first cut of Rebecca's hair. INBM15-16S

“I researched which charity does this and I found the Little Princess Trust. Reading the stories of those children affected by cancer made me feel sad and I decided I wanted to help them.

“I discovered that it costs £350 to make one wig, so as well as donating my hair, I also decided to raise as much money as I could.

“I started fundraising on 14th March and set up a ‘Just Giving’ page with a target of £350 to cover the cost of making one wig. Since then people have been so generous and my total is nearly double.”

On Thursday, Rebecca stepped up to the challenge and had her hair cut off at Nicola Murray Hair Salon in Ballymoney.

Rebecca continued: “I was nervous to start with but it was alright once Nicola got going. My hair was put into four plaits and then Nicola cut them off, each was 12 inches long. It was really scary to see this happening. My hair is now above my shoulders and it feels a bit strange but it’s nothing compared to how those children with no hair feel.”