Children’s charity receive donation from kind-hearted GCU student

A Mental Health Nursing student has donated her hair to charity to help young children suffering from cancer.

Taylor Leonard raised £165 and donated eight inches of her hair to the Little Princess Trust, who provide free real hair wigs to children and young people up to the age of 24.

She said: “I’ve actually had my hair short for years. It used to be really long when I was younger, but at the age of 14, I just decided to get it all chopped off.

“About a year ago I decided to grow it out again so that I could donate it. The minimum length Little Princess Trust takes is seven inches, so I made sure I definitely had enough. I ended up growing it for a year and a half, only visiting my hairdresser occasionally to get rid of split ends. When I actually went to get it cut it was the longest it had been in five years.”

Taylor explained that she didn’t have any second thoughts about donating and insisted it was a very simple process.

“Everyone keeps asking if I was nervous sitting in the chair waiting for it to get cut, but I honestly wasn’t because hair grows back. It’s going to a good cause and helping someone who can’t grow their hair due to cancer - so it was an easy decision for me.

“All I had to do was basically put my hair into four ponytails and that gave me individual pieces which I then put in an envelope and sent off along with the money I raised.”

Taylor added: “I was looking at other organisations but Little Princess Trust were the ones with the most recognition and awards. They have so much funding so I knew my hair would be put to good use.

“It’s nice to think that I’m helping someone who is in a really difficult position. My hair also dries in two minutes, which is definitely an added bonus!”

By Ross Clark 
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