A Stevenage schoolgirl had her long locks cut off for charity after she made the decision herself with the support of family and friends.

The Comet: Holly Smith, 8, having her long blonde hair cut by hairdresser Kelly Degaute.Holly Smith, 8, having her long blonde hair cut by hairdresser Kelly Degaute. (Image: Archant)

Holly Smith, aged eight, decided to donate her hair to a children’s charity after talking it through with her mum.

Mum Amanda said: “Holly is very mature – she had wanted to get her hair cut for a while so we went through the options and she decided to donate it to the Little Princess Trust to help out another girl.”

Holly is also raising money for the charity which provides real-hair wigs to children who have lost their hair to cancer treatment.

Despite feeling a little nervous leading up to the cut – which saw 30 centimetres snipped off by hairdresser Kelly Degaute at mum’s Cre-Art-Ivity shop in Stotfold – Holly told all her friends at Peartree Spring school about the big day.

Mum Amanda said: “I’m very proud of her for doing it for charity – although I was probably more nervous than she was!”

You can still support Holly’s fundraising on the mydonate.bt.com website – search ‘amandasmith2’.