Newbury Park girl with Rapunzel like hair has 17ins cut off for charity

Maya had 17ins of her lovely locks cut off for charity (Image: Archant)

»A girl with hair long enough to rival even the fairytale character Rapunzel has let her father cut off 17 inches and donated it to a charity for children with cancer.

Maya Desai, seven, of Devonshire Road, Newbury Park, had her luscious locks cut off on Sunday, giving the honour of the cutting to her dad Hasit.

They are donating her hair to the Little Princess Trust which makes wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy.

‘Proud’

Hasit said: “We are all proud of her. She’s been growing her hair and this was her first proper haircut. We thought as she’s getting it cut she may as well do something good with it and raise some money.”

For giving up her lovely hair, Maya has been nominated for the Recorder/Redbridge Rotary Club Young Citizen Award, sponsored by the Exchange Ilford shopping centre.

So far Maya has raised more than £800 from her friends and family, and plans to give the money to the charity to help even more children.

Hasit said one of the family’s friends died from breast cancer and her daughter had donated her hair twice to the Little Princess Trust which gave them the idea.

“All kids like to look good and when they are going through chemotherapy it ups their self-esteem,” Hasit said.

“Maya loves the idea of helping someone else. Also her hair was getting too long for mummy and daddy to manage.”

He said that something which started out as a simple haircut has now escalated.

In fact Maya’s two older sisters have said they wish they had done the same.

“It’s such a good thing that she is doing. I cut her hair and she likes it – it was not badly done,” he added.