Kayleigh’s first hair cut in 12 years will help Little Princesses

A Norfolk woman has donated 17 inches of her own hair for charity.

Kayleigh McKinnon, 29, from Fakenham has donated her hair and raised funds for The Little Princess Trust.

The charity which provides free real hair wigs to children and young people, who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions, as well as to conduct research into various childhood illnesses.

The customer assistant at Fakenham pharmacy decided back in October 2019 that she wanted a new do, she was encouraged by a friend at work to look into hair donation, she said: "I was planning on having a haircut anyway, it's probably been 12 years since I had anything more than a trim, so I fancied a change.

"Then one of the girls at work suggested donating some of it, so I thought why not go all in and donate as much as possible.

"I haven't had hair any shorter than my shoulders since I was 10 years old, so I was a bit worried I'd hate it short. But I figured it's just hair, it'll grow back. And luckily I actually love it this short!"

However, it was not as simple as just getting the chop. The 29-year-old had to take supplements and use regular conditioning hair masks to make sure her hair was in the best condition.

Then on February 15, cheered on by her parents, sisters, niece and nephew she had her hair cut by her work colleague, Charlie. After a short trim to get rid of the split ends, her 28 inches of hair turned to 11.

Miss McKinnon said: "Donating my hair feels fantastic. Not only have I raised a lot of money for a great charity, but I've directly contributed to making at least one girl very happy, I wish I'd done it years ago."

The pharmacy assistant is also raising money for the charity. She wanted people to sponsor the cut, hoping to raise £550 which she based on the average price of a real hair wig.

She has since raised just shy of £680 on her just giving page and in a collection tin at Fakenham pharmacy.