A nine-year-old pupil from Marine Academy Primary celebrated her birthday – by having her hair cut for charity.
Ava-Jane Houghton decided that she wanted to donate the 15 inch braid to the Little Princess Trust.
In June, Ava-Jane wrote this note to all of her friends at Marine Academy Primary:
“My name is Ava-Jane and I’m eight years old but I will be nine in July.
“For my birthday I would like to donate my hair to the Little Princess Trust and I will be having my hair cut in an assembly on July 20. Mrs Meredith (headteacher) is even going to help to cut my hair!
“I’ve also been collecting sponsors to fundraise for the Little Princess Trust and I will donate my hair to them for them to make it into a wig for children who have lost their hair due to illness. It makes me very sad that there are girls and boys who are upset when they lose their hair.
“My hair is very long and I’ve never liked cutting it but I think it’s a good thing to give a poorly child my hair as it will hopefully make them smile. Please help me raise as much as I can for the Little Princess Trust, each wig costs between £375-£500 sometimes more. Thank you, Ava-Jane x”
Ava-Jane also encouraged children to wear mufti to school on July 20 – the day of the hair cutting – to raise further money for the charity. The children all watched on with admiration during the assembly when Ava-Jane had her hair cut.
Siobhan Meredith, headteacher at Marine Academy Primary said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to be supporting Ava-Jane’s fundraising for the Little Princess Trust. Helping to transform the lives of children facing hair loss through cancer and other conditions is a cause that matters greatly. Ava-Jane has inspired us all by bravely facing the chop and we’re really proud of the support that the children and Parents/Carers have offered to fundraise for such a worthy cause.”
Marine Academy Primary raised over £250 towards Ava-Jane’s total, which will be donated to the Little Princess Trust.
