An 11-year-old girl from Aberaeron who lost her father to cancer has raised £1,600 by cutting her hair.

Emily Smith-Jones, who is one of triplets, cut her hair to raise money for the Little Princess Trust after hearing about the charity from her mum last year.

“The Little Princess Trust started in 2004, when a young girl named Hannah Tarplee was diagnosed with a tumour,” said Emily.

“Hannah loved her hair so losing it due to cancer treatment was very difficult and made her experience much harder. In 2005 Hannah sadly died. Her parents decided to do something in Hannah’s memory and set up the Little Princess Trust to help children with cancer by providing them with real hair wigs.

“At the time I had quite long hair and my mum said that if one day I wanted to cut it I could donate it to them.

“I really liked the idea, but I wanted to grow my hair a bit longer so that they would be able to make one as long as possible.

“At the beginning of 2023, my mum ordered the information pack, and we read all about what we needed to do. It costs £550 to make one wig for one child, which is a lot of money, so I decided I wanted to raise at least that. We set up a Just Giving page so people could start donating, and I am very grateful to everyone who has! Every penny will help make a difference to someone’s life.”

Emily added: “When the day of the ‘big chop’ finally came we went to Siswrn A Steil in Llanrhystud, run by the lovely Mary Davies. I was very excited to have a new hairstyle and was wondering what I would look like with short hair! When Mary finished I looked at myself in the mirror and thought ‘I look so different! But I absolutely love it’. Thank you to Mary for cutting my hair for the charity and supporting my fundraising. I am so grateful to everyone who has donated and supported me, and at the moment I have raised over £1,600. Thank you all so much!”

Emily’s family has been affected by cancer, as she explained.

“We sadly lost my daddy last year after a long fight with the illness. Unfortunately cancer seems to touch lots of people’s lives, so I wanted to do something, even though it is only a small thing, which would have a positive impact on a person going through hard times.

"My hair has always been important to me and the thought of someone not being able to have their hair, because of chemotherapy or other treatments, made me sad. I hope my donation brings them joy in the form of a new wig!”

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/page/donna-smith-jones-1667686558176?