Two kind-hearted Kilwinning girls have donated 14 inches of their hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides free real hair wigs to children and young people who have experienced hair loss through cancer treatment or other conditions.

Skye, 12, and Ava, eight, braved the hairdressing scissors to raise funds for the charity which aims to comfort young people undergoing medical treatment that may result in hair loss – an often vulnerable and distressing position for a child to be put in following diagnosis.

The Nelson sisters were encouraged to donate their locks by mum, Jackie, and their local hairdresser at Wicked Salon in Kilwinning who heard about the girls’ generous gesture and suggested that they set up a justgiving page.

Mum Jackie said she is immensely proud of her daughters who have so far raised £320 of their £550 target.

She said: “They were going to do it last year but their hair was too short so we had to wait for it to grow as long as possible. Their hair was down to their backsides so we thought it was time to get it cut because they were going back to school.

“They both donated 14 inches of their hair each when the average is seven inches. They realised they were doing a good thing and were more than happy to donate it all.

“It doesn’t matter if we make ten or twenty pounds, or if people even donate one or two pounds. Every little helps.”

Jackie said that Skye, a Kilwinning Academy pupil, and Ava, who attends Pennyburn Primary, were initially quite daunted at the thought of parting with their flowing hair.

However the girls soon got on board with the idea after their mum told them about the fantastic work the Little Princess Trust do to instil confidence in children undergoing cancer treatment.

Jackie said: “We’d seen the charity on Facebook and knew of other kids donating hair but they weren’t keen at first. But when I explained a bit more about it and what the charity represents, about how it goes to making wigs for kids with cancer, they came round to the idea and started to understand what it was all about.

“They looked a bit gutted after they got it cut because they were so used to their long hair but now they’re really happy.

“I’m really proud of what they’ve done and all the donations they’ve gotten so far. I know what their hair meant to them so for them to do that, I couldn’t be prouder.”

To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jackie-Nelson3