The Big Chop for Little Princess Trust

Those of you who know me personally will know, that with the exception of a brief period back in 2000 where I tried to work the Posh Spice look (the less said about that the better), I have ALWAYS had long hair. My hair is very thick, and since I was young, I have nearly always wore it down or in a large pony tail.

This April, I have decided to go for The Big Chop. I will be waving goodbye to 7 inches of hair, and even worse than that I will be letting my partner and 4 year old daughter near the scissors (at least for the initial stage of the cut!). Am I sick of blow drying it? Yes. Am I needing a new mum pick me up? Yes. Have I had a moment of insanity? Possibly. But these are not the reasons why.

On the 29th April I am heading to the Shrek’s Adventure in London to take part in a mass hair donation event for The Little Princess Trust – a charity which provides free real hair wigs to boys and girls across the UK & Ireland that have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and other illnesses. The charity was  created in 2006 in memory of 5 year old Hannah Tarplee who sadly lost her own battle with cancer. Since its inception, the Little Princess Trust has given away nearly 5000 wigs to young boys and girls, with the average wig costing an average of £500 at no cost to the family.

When my Mum was going through her cancer treatment in 2013, she found the hair loss one of the most difficult parts of chemotherapy. I saw first hand the impact that having a high quality wig had on my Mum, and how it helped her to regain her confidence. I can only begin to imagine how hard it must be for a child to experience the same anxieties around hair loss, and if some of my unruly locks can be created into something magical then I am all for it. I am also slightly pooping my pants if I am honest!

This event is also open to the public, so if any of you reading fancy coming along too here’s what you need to know!

• You will need to be willing to have at least 7 inches / 17 cm of your hair cut off. Longer donations are welcome, so if you are a Real Life Rapunzel after a significant style change, this is the initiative for you!
• Donors should register for a time slot at https://realliferapunzel.eventbrite.co.uk. You can then come along on the afternoon of the 29th April where you can donate your hair and then enjoy a complimentary haircut and styling courtesy of students and staff from South Thames College Hair Salon, a glitter makeover for children and plenty of fun activities too.
• Each donor can bring one non-donating guest – although the more donors the better!
• The event will be attended by The Only Way is Essex star Mario Falcone, who recently donated his hair to the charity. Mario will be meeting guests and crowning the donor of the longest hair as a ‘Real Life Rapunzel’.

I will of course be taking before and after pics on the day, and will share my new look with you as soon as I can.

If you know a #RealLifeRapunzel – why not point them in this direction! 🙂
Lucy