A Longside schoolgirl has raised £1400 for a children’s cancer charity after collecting sponsorship to cut an impressive 12 and a half inches off her hair.
Olivia Marr, 7, made the brave decision to chop her long locks in a bid to raise money for The Little Princess Trust, exceeding her initial £100 target to raise an extraordinary £1400 in less than a week.
The Little Princess Trust, which was established in 2006, 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 and other illnesses. The charity relies solely on the efforts of enthusiastic fundraisers.
Olivia decided to take on the brave challenge after she learned about the charity and its work to support children who are a similar age to her and suffer from cancer.
Wendy Marr, Olivia’s mother and managing director of Genesis Personnel, which has an office in Peterhead, said: “Olivia has had lovely long golden locks since she was little, so you can imagine my surprise when she decided to chop it off for charity! Cutting your hair when you are a child is always a big deal, but for Olivia, it was a bold decision with an unexpected outcome, and I am extremely proud of her.
“The Little Princess Trust does an amazing job for the young children suffering from cancer and I’m very proud that my daughter put herself forward for such a heart-felt and brave challenge for a young girl of her age. I’m also astounded at the amount of support we have had from family, friends, local businesses and employees of Genesis Personnel – everyone has been very generous and I can’t believe we exceeded our target 14 times over!”
Monica Glass, charity manager of The Little Princess Trust, said:
“What an amazing little girl! Everyone at the charity is so impressed with Olivia as she has helped a total of five poorly children. Thanks to the incredible generosity of her supporters, with the money that Olivia has raised, four real hair wigs can be purchased, with her lovely long donation of hair contributing to the manufacture of an additional wig for a further child. Quite an achievement at 7! On behalf of all of the boys and girls that the Trust assists, thank you Olivia!”
If you would like to find out more information on the Little Princess Trust, please visit www.littleprincesses.org.uk