“I just wanted to show my support” is how a 16-year-old girl described her decision to get all her hair shaved off after her grandfather was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Charlotte Oakley, of Grove Road, Chadwell Heath has so far raised more than £2,500 for Leukaemia Research Foundation.
Since the age of four she has raised money for charity by doing sponsored runs but decided to get her hair cut off as she thought it would raise more money. She said: “I just wanted to show my support. I wanted to raise awareness and raise as much money as I could. I thought it would raise more money than a walkathon.”
She said before getting her hair cut off at Liane hairdresser, High Road, Chadwell Heath, on Thursday, she felt nervous but said her friends had been very supportive.
Charlotte added: “It went well and I’ve not had any bad comments about it, I was nervous when I saw it all coming off. My friends were shocked that I was doing it but they also said it looks nice. They think I was brave.”
Her mum Vicky Marsh, 35, said she was surprised when Charlotte told her she wanted to get her hair cut for charity.
Miss Marsh said: “I think it’s really amazing for a teenager to think about others, I think a lot of teenagers don’t think beyond the end of their noses let alone take others into consideration.”
Miss Marsh helped Charlotte raise the money by publicising her fundraising through Facebook and by putting up posters at her partner’s office.
She added: “I wouldn’t have done it at 16 but she said people lose their hair every day due to cancer and leukaemia and that was that.”
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