A SEVEN-year-old Islander was inspired by her mother to give 12 inches of hair to the Little Princess Trust – and raised hundreds of pounds for the charity in the process.
Adelyne Harris, a Year 2 pupil at Mont Nicolle Primary School, followed in the footsteps of her mother, Jo, who herself has donated her hair to the charity – not once but twice.
Mrs Harris gave her hair to the organisation for the first time in 2016, while she was pregnant with Adelyne, and for the second time in 2022.
“That’s when Adelyne said: ‘I want to do it too’,” Mrs Harris explained.
Having postponed her haircut once in order to keep her hair long enough to wear it in a bun during a ballet recital, Adelyne finally got it chopped off on Tuesday 30 December.
In the meantime, she managed to raise £610 for the Little Princess Trust – and is still going.
“She’s asked everybody [to support her campaign],” Mrs Harris said.
“She’s not short of confidence. She took it into school in November when she started fundraising.
“Social media, family friends… everyone she talks to. She’s getting everyone to empty their pockets.”
Adelyne had her hair cut at Studio Phoenix. Mrs Harris said the business offered to help send the hair to the charity.
In a video recorded after getting her new do, Adelyne said: “Thank you for your kind donations and lovely messages. I have done it and I love it.”
She said she was looking forward to revealing her new look to her classmates.
Wendy Tarplee-Morris, founder of the Little Princess Trust, said: “It is lovely to hear that Adelyne has followed in her mum’s footsteps to support our charity.
“Her wonderful hair donation and brilliant fundraising will be a great help to us as we can continue to provide real hair wigs to children and young people undergoing cancer treatment.”
The charity provides free wigs for young people up to the age of 24 who have lost hair for medical reasons. Wigs cost on average £700 to make, fit and style, and the charity also funds cancer research.
Adelyne was the second young Islander to donate hair to the charity this winter. Elodie D’Abbot-Doyle (11), a Year 7 student at JCG, also donated her locks to the trust.
Adelyne’s fundraising page can be found at justgiving.com/page/adelyneharris.
