A 12 year old schoolgirl has raised over £5,000 by shaving her hair at the Windsor Castle Marple Bridge and donating it to The Little Princess Trust Charity.
Holly Myers, from Marple Bridge, selflessly shaved her hair at Robinson Brewery’s Windsor Castle Pub in her home village of Marple Bridge, and is personally taking all 17 inches down to The Little Princess Trust in Hereford to deliver it in person. She has raised £5,763.82 (of which £1,700 was raised at the Windsor Castle pub), and donations are still coming in.
Joanne Farrell, Licensee at the Windsor Castle, said:
“We live in a community full of generous people who always support us. Holly and her parents (Dave and Debbie) are such genuine, selfless people, who are always looking out for the community in one way or another. They’ve been regulars at our pub for a long time now which has always been a community hub, and since they’re such special customers we wanted to return the favour by putting on this event.
“It was extremely emotional and had an electric atmosphere. We were very well supported by extremely generous customers and raised £1,700 just on the night which is amazing.”
Holly Myers said:
“It’s a shock but I will get used to it. I am lucky that my hair will grow back quickly unlike some of the children that I will be helping.”
The charitable act has been a two-year process while Holly grew her hair to 17 inches and was inspired by a school friend who had donated her hair to the same charity.
Headteacher of Hulme Hall Grammar School, Rachael Allen, commented:
“We are so proud of Holly, she has shown real tenacity and determination in donating her hair and is setting a brilliant example to her peers.”
The Little Princess Trust was launched in 2006 by the parents of Hannah Tarplee, who was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour and died in 2005. It provides real hair wigs free of charge to children and young people up to the age of 24 that have sadly lost their own hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses.
Chair of Governors at Hulme Hall Grammar, Tim Lowe, was one of the original Trustees of the charity and was a former Headmaster of the Hereford school at the time when Hannah was a pupil. He is still involved with the charity and is delighted to have the support of Holly.
Tim explained:
“It takes a lot of time and effort to ensure the hair is in the right condition to be used. Holly is following in the footsteps of many other wonderful people including Jessie J and more recently, the Duchess of Cambridge, who donated her hair in January this year.”
Holly’s hair will be sent off to China where skilled specialists blend the hair donations together to create their wigs. It can take between 7-10 individual donations to make a single wig which will then be given to a child in the UK or Ireland.
David Myers, Holly’s father, said:
“We as parents, David and Debbie, are overwhelmed with pride and emotion for what our daughter is doing to help other children who are much less fortunate than herself. She is such a selfless character and is always there to help and assist others in any way she can.”
Alan Chapman, Business Development Manager at Robinsons Brewery, said:
“According to CAMRA, a community pub is one which offers facilities to the community without expecting any financial benefits, and one that encourages social interactions and puts something back into the communities it serves. The Windsor Castle is certainly this – Joe regularly puts on fantastic events at the pub – the Windsor Castle really is such a vital part of the community and with this latest charity fundraising event, Joe exemplifies what a great, long-serving licensee can add to a community, always willing to get involved, to help and accommodate her customers and the wider community.”
Joanne will be hosting many more fundraising events to help Holly hit her target of £10,000. You can show your support by donating HERE
Find out more about the Windsor Castle like them on Facebook or call the pub directly on 0161 427 9898
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