Shaniya, nine, to chop hair for Northamptonshire charity Niamh's Next Step
So far Shaniya has raised £1,164 for Niamh's Next Step
Inspirational schoolgirl Shaniya White will say goodbye to her bottom-length hair when she faces the chop for charity.
The nine-year-old has been wanting a change of style but grew it even longer when she realised she could support two good causes.
Lengths of her long hair will be sent to the Little Princess Trust to be made into wigs for youngsters with hair loss, and she has raised funds for Wellingborough charity, Niamh’s Next Step.
Shaniya’s mum Siobhain has been supporting her daughter as the big hair day approaches.
She said: “I’m very proud of her. She has put in hours of work. It takes such a long time to organise with cake sales, stalls and doing the raffle."
Shaniya, a pupil at Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School in Wellingborough, has been holding cake sales, teddy adoptions and a big prize raffle that will be drawn on the day of the haircut, Monday (August 1).
A stall in the Swansgate recently raised just under £400.
Staff from Cubs and Kings Barbers shop in Sheep Street Wellingborough will host the radical restyle, as Shaniya sacrifices 16 inches of hair, providing their services for free.
Watching on will be brothers Karelle, 16 and 11-year-old Kyran, best friend Abigail, supporters and Sam and Chris Curry founders of Niamh’s Next Step.
Chris said: “She’s an amazing little girl. She wanted to choose a local charity and she chose Niamh’s Next Step. It’s incredible. It’s very, very important to us. We’ve been going for 10 years this year. We couldn’t fundraise for three years but we committed to funding research so the money coming in is amazing and so is the awareness.”
Tickets for Shaniya’s big prize raffle are available from Niamh’s Boutique in High Street or via the family’s Facebook fundraising page.
Donations from local businesses include vouchers for The George at Wilby, Swedish Kitchen, and Northants Hair & Scalp Clinic.
Shaniya, who will be left with shoulder-length hair, said: “I’m really excited and really looking forward to it.”
Mum Siobhain added: “I think I’m going to miss her hair more than she will. She’s enjoyed the fundraising so much that she wants to do it all over again.”