Six-year-old Leeds school-girl has 23 inches of hair cut off to help children with cancer

Hira-Noor Rashid had 23 inches of her hair cut earlier last month and decided to donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust charity as well as raise money for it too.

Her hair will be used by the charity to make wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments and the money raised by sponsorship will also go to the work of the charity which was set up in 2006 by parents of a girl who died from cancer - but had noted how positive the effect of wearing a wig was for her

Hira-Noor is a year one pupil at Hillcrest Academy in Leeds and asked her mother, Saima if she could have her hair cut short before lockdown so it had to be put on hold as hairdressers were closed. However, in the meantime, Saima came across the Little Princess Trust website and it struck a chord as they that year had lost friends to cancer.

It was an emotional experience, she added, as Hira-Noor had only ever had her hair cut before when she was a baby.

It took two hours to do the cut at the family hairdresser in Bradford.

"I spoke to her and said there are poorly little girls and you could give it to them - the hairdresser still asked her if she wanted to it first. Her brother Hassan was very excited when she came home that day."

It took two hours and three hairdressers to make sure the hair was cut properly and collected in accordance with the charity's requirements and now it just needs to be popped in the post and can be made into a wig.

Saima admits she was emotional about Hira-Noor having her hair cut - but there are benefits.

She added: "I was emotional. Everybody loved her long hair. Her hair is part of her. The school had had an 'Inspire Day' and she said she could be Rapunzel. Washing her hair is so much easier and she can do it herself now, she likes that independence."

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