I had my long locks lopped to help other children

CODY Lockwood came up with the selfless plan to help other children all on her own.

“Mum,” she asked her mother Louise a few weeks ago, “I’ve been thinking. Can I have my hair cut really short because some children with cancer haven’t got any hair and mine will grow back.

“Wouldn’t it be nice for children who have cancer to feel a bit pretty?

Worried her well-meaning daughter would have a change of heart once her luscious locks were cut, Louise made her daughter wait. But for weeks Cody, from Manor Road, Brighton, persisted in her unwavering desire to help others.

Louise said: “I told Cody if she still wanted it cut in two weeks we’d think about it. I have to admit I was a bit upset about her losing the beautiful hair she’d been growing since she was a baby.

“But she knew her mind and I’m so proud of her decision.”

In the end, they decided to donate Cody’s hair to the Little Princess Trust – the charity used by pop star Jessie J which makes real hair wigs for children battling cancer.

On the way to her hairdressing appointment at Fusion Hair Studio in The Broadway, Brighton, Cody was not as nervous as her mother.

Explaining her decision, the St Martin’s CE Primary School Pupil said: “People who have cancer are very poorly and sick and as well as that they lose their hair.

I thought if I cut my hair off they would be able to make a wig for someone else.

“My hair was quite long and I have been growing it since I was a baby. But it feels really nice now and I don’t miss it at all.”

Fusion owner Leon Edley snipped 8in off Cody’s locks, which will now be sent to the charity and combined with the hair of up to five other generous donors to make realistic wigs for children.

After watching her daughter take to the barber’s chair, Louise said: “I don’t feel sad.

“I explained to her that although it would grow back eventually it wouldn’t happen overnight and she’d have to wait months or years to get it back again.

“But they were so professional at the hairdressers and put us totally at ease. Now Cody’s already saying that when it grows back she wants to do it again to help another child.”

As well as donating her hair Cody has been raising sponsorship for the Little Princess Trust.

To donate, visit justgiving.com/ Codylockwood.

Heartache led to charity launch

The Little Princess Trust was launched by the parents of Hannah Tarplee, pictured below, who died after battling a Wilms’ tumour, a type of kidney cancer.

Since 2006, they have made wigs for 3,000 children – which can cost from £350.

The charity receives donations of hair from volunteers, which Hove-based wig company Trendco then sends away to be manufactured into high quality, natural hair wigs for children.

Hannah’s mother, Wendy Tarplee-Morris, told The Argus they struggled to find a good wig so wanted to help make a difference to other children’s lives. She said: “We are so grateful to girls like Cody who donate their hair to us. It shows the heartwarming side of what we do.

“We had to search and search for a wig for Hannah.

“The NHS gave us a voucher for a department store in Birmingham but they weren’t specialists and weren’t really right.

“It was so hard to find a good children’s wig let alone buy one.

“The effect it has on children is enormous. It has allowed them to live their lives as full as possible, go back to school and has a huge impact on their self esteem.”

The charity started raising funds to buy wigs specially manufactured by the Hove company. Then people started sending their hair so now they also make their own wigs from the donations.

Children can even have specially made styles to match their natural hair, as well as choose from a range of wigs which can be trimmed to suit.

Wendy added: “Trendco have been very supportive. We started buying wigs from them.

“They are a private company but they now collect the hair for us and send it off to their manufacturers to be made into the most beautiful wigs.”

Helping those who suffer from medical hair loss

HOVE-based Trendco opened business in 1965 selling wigs and hairpieces for fashion.

A significant proportion of their business these days, however, is providing wigs for customers with medical hair loss.

Managing director Lynne Harris said: “The Little Princess Trust came to us to provide wigs for children whose parents couldn’t really afford a human hair wig or didn’t really know where to go.

“They started receiving hair donations and this grew rapidly but they didn’t know what to do with the hair.

“So we talked about the best thing to do. We contacted our factory in China and the hair is collected by us, sorted out and sent weekly to our factory we use. They, in return, make wigs in two sizes and different lengths from the donated hair. This is a full-time job as we receive hair from all over the world.

“The wigs are then fitted to children from the Little Princess Trust free of charge at Trendco’s six salons across the country.”

Award-winning hairdresser Trevor Sorbie teamed up with Trendco in 2007 when he launched his charity My New Hair. They customise and personalise wigs for alopecia sufferers and chemotherapy patients.

He said: “To make this service the best that I can, I had to source the best wigs available.

“After trying many brands, I found Trendco not only provided the best quality wigs, but also provided a genuine, caring service.

“Their staff understand the needs for people that use wigs as fashion accessories but in my mind, more importantly, they understand the sensitivity needed to deal with medical hair loss.”

Last December, Ashanti Elliott Smith visited Trendco to pick out a wig paid for by generous Argus readers.

Ashanti who suffers from Hutchinson Gildford Progeria, a rare ageing disease that means she is not expected to live past 15, had been told off for wearing a bright pink wig to school to hide her alopecia.