A CUMBRIAN schoolgirl is donating her hair to charity – after growing it for four years.

Eight-year-old Olivia Peacock, from Wigton, is to cut 16 inches off her hair and will donate it to the Princess Trust.

Gemma Keeler, Olivia’s mother, said that the idea came about when they were watching Children in Need.

“There were some stories about children who had been diagnosed with cancer and they’d lost their hair,” said Gemma.

“They spoke about the treatments they were going through and Olivia got really upset that these poor children had no hair. It’s the one thing that stood out for her that these girls and boys had no hair and that she had lots of hair.

“I went through the whole thing of telling her that there was a charity that people grew their hair for and that they made wigs out of them for people that were suffering from cancer or alopecia or different conditions.

“She was quite interested by it. So I told her that anybody can do it, grown-ups and children. She said, ‘can I do it?’ and I said ‘course you can, if that’s what you want to do’.”

Olivia, who attends Nelson Thomlinson School, has now been growing her hair for four years. She will finally have it cut later this year.

She is also hosting a fundraiser at Wigton Bowling Club on Saturday, November 27. All funds are going towards the Princess Trust.

“There’ll be different raffles,” said Gemma. “I’ve been in touch with quite a few people to get more donations for the raffle and I have asked small businesses if they can provide things.

“There will be tea and coffee for a small fee to go towards the final donation.”

To keep Olivia’s hair in good condition, her mother regularly brushes it – a process which can take up to 20 minutes.

Gemma said that she was ‘extremely proud’ of her daughter.

“It’s a very big commitment, especially for a small child, to sit and suffer getting her hair brushed.

“But she always says, ‘it’s for the children, it’s for the children’ every time she’s getting her hair brushed through.”

She added: “She’s got a heart of gold. She helps anybody in any way she can.”

You can donate at justgiving.com/fundraising/gemma-keeler.