A 10-year-old girl has cut 12 inches off her hair after being inspired by her friend’s grandmother’s cancer diagnosis plus the loss of her uncle.
Ben Law was just 22 when he died in a car crash in April, sending shockwaves through Wigton.
“Wigton is a very close-knit town and the people so generous. £1,750, was raised in honour of Ben and donated to Mind. I think Millie has seen people’s generosity and seen that there are lots of good people locally and decided to do something to help others less fortunate than her.”
Millie Blaylock, who is granddaughter to Sarah and niece to Ben, wanted to turn a tragedy into something positive.
As well as being inspired by the community effort to pay tribute to Ben, Millie also has another personal reason for wanting to cut her hair for charity.
“Her friend’s grandma is undergoing treatment for breast cancer,” said Sarah. “This treatment may lead to hair loss so there has been lots of talk about wigs and their cost. Millie is a kind girl and wanted to do something nice for somebody else.
“She has done of all of the research herself and found out how much it costs to provide a wig to a young person. Her initial target was to raise enough to pay for two wigs, but she has already exceeded that target.”
It costs the Little Princess Trust £550 to provide a real-hair wig to a person in need. The charity has provided thousands of real hair wigs to sick children and young people, aged up to 24 years, across the UK and Ireland since it launched in 2006.
Millie has smashed her original target of raising enough to pay for two wigs and has so far raised £3,000.
“I just wanted to do something nice for somebody else,” the Thomlinson Junior School pupil said.
“I looked at the length of hair that needs to be donated and how much it would cost for one person’s wig.”
Both her friends and family are “really proud” of her, she added.
Millie had her hair cut at The Hare & Hounds in Wigton on Sunday, with activities such as raffles, tombola and cake sales taking place.
