WITH a heart far bigger than her tender ten years, Charlotte Fox devotes her life to looking after others.

Charlotte’s mother Lisa Mighall suffers from fibromyalgia and enthesitis, meaning she struggles to walk and has difficulty performing many every day tasks.

Since her eighth birthday – the earliest she could officially become a young carer – Charlotte has been looking after Lisa.

But it does not end there.

While other primary school children may be focused on playground squabbles, the latest TV show or pop stars, Charlotte has organised numerous events to raise money for charity and now plans to cut off her long blonde hair to make a wig for a child with cancer.

Charlotte said: “I don’t mind doing things to help my mum. I love her so I want to help her out.

“In the morning I’ll wash up after breakfast and brush her hair before I go to school. She sees me off.

“After school sometimes I can play with my friends but sometimes I come straight home to help Mum.

“Even before I was a young carer I wanted to help my mum, so I don’t think it makes a difference.

“I don’t feel like I miss out on anything.

“My friends don’t have to do most of the things I do, but I don’t mind.

“Sometimes I can’t go to my friends’ houses because my mum needs me help.

“I can see my mum isn’t very well.

“People might think it’s sad that I don’t get to do things, but I don’t. I want to do things with her.”

Every morning Charlotte helps Lisa get into the shower. She washes and brushes her mother’s hair, a task that can cause Lisa a lot of pain.

When the week’s groceries are delivered, Charlotte unpacks the shopping, she chops vegetables for dinner and washes up afterwards.

Her heart bursting with pride, Lisa said: “As a mother the tables are turned a bit. She’s so young and I feel awful that she has to help me out.

“But she wouldn’t have it any other way. She has such a caring nature and I wouldn’t ask her to help if it got in the way of her school work or her living her life.

“Charlotte is such a big help to me. I have complex health needs and I don’t know what I would do without her.

“She has been my carer since she was eight.

“It is such a young age, in fact she had to wait a few months before she could do it because you can’t be a carer until you are eight.

She helps me around the flat, she does the things I struggle with.

“For a while I was having to self-inject and having chemotherapy for enthesitis.

“Without Charlotte to help me I don’t think I would be able to cope. If I have a bad day she helps me, she is always trying to pamper me, but then if I have a good day I’ll do her hair, or paint her nails and we’ll have a pamper day.

“We are so lucky because my older children and the wider family take Charlotte out to make sure she doesn’t miss out on anything.

“Charlotte was quite poorly when she was born. She was forever in hospital with eczema and asthma.

“My grandfather died from cancer last year.

“I think having been ill herself and seeing her mum ill makes her want to do everything she can to help other people that are ill.

“She is always going above and beyond to fundraise for cancer research and local fundraising events too, with no hesitation about giving up her time.”

Last year Charlotte ran a mini mile for Macmillian Cancer in St Ann’s Well Gardens near her home in Somerhill Road, Hove, and was praised for her efforts by MP Peter Kyle and Eddie Izzard, who she met at the event.

Talking about her selfless act to cut off her luscious locks, which reach her bottom, Charlotte said: “I was watching something on TV and a girl cut her hair off to have it made into a wig. And I thought, I can give that to someone else.

“I think as a girl our hair can be quite important, which is why I hope it grows back before I start secondary school in September, but it must be so much worse for girls who lose their hair.”

Star pupil Charlotte has recently won an award from her school, Brunswick Primary, for being such a dedicated pupil who loves learning.

Charlotte will be having her hair chopped for the Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children with cancer, on February 10 at midday.

To sponsor Charlotte’s haircut visit

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/charlotte-fox?utm_id=2&utm_term=eXEv3DmXW.