A woman who has been growing her hair since childhood has raised over £700 by chopping it off, to make wigs out of it for youngsters who have lost their locks through illness and cancer treatment.

Hackney Gazette: Ravinder Kaur is going to cut her long hair to make wigs for ill youngstersRavinder Kaur is going to cut her long hair to make wigs for ill youngsters (Image: Archant)

Ravinder Kaur decided that her hair, which was over a metre long and stretched down to her knees, would be put to better use by The Little Princess Trust.

The charity takes donations of hair to create ready-made wigs which would otherwise cost up to £2,000 each, for ill children who are finding it hard to come to terms with losing their hair.

Ms Kaur, who lives in Cazenove Road, Stoke Newington, and works as a teacher in Tottenham, said: “It feels like I’ve lost a part of me, my hair felt like an extension of my body that’s not there anymore. When I put my hand behind my back it feels empty, there’s nothing there.

“But I feel that my hair will now fulfil a meaningful purpose, 80cm of it is going to new homes.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/ravinder-kaur.