A BRAVE nine-year-old girl is cutting her hair to raise money for a charity set up in memory of her mother.

Elise Reed, from Northallerton, will be raising money for Wendy’s Wish, a charity set up in memory of her mother, Wendy Reed. She died on January 6 this year, five years after being diagnosed with a type of eye cancer known as Ocular Melanoma.

On Friday, April 7, Elise will be cutting eight inches from her hair at a fundraising coffee evening at Northallerton Methodist Church and sending it to the Little Princess Trust, to make wigs for children who have lost their hair.

The event is free and the inspirational youngster will be asking the local community for donations which she will then donate to the charity in memory of her mother.

Elise said “This is the second time I will have had my hair cut for the Little Princess Trust as I would like to help children with cancer who have lost their hair. At the same time, I want to raise money for mummy’s charity so there can be more research into eye cancer to help other families.”

Wendy’s Wish was set up by Mrs Reed’s husband, David and her parents, Jill and Bill Harker and family friend Sam Rainbow, to raise money for the Eye Tumour Research Fund.

It was set up before Wendy, 38, passed away. The mother of two girls, Elise and Annie, 6, was informed by medics in November 2016 that her cancer was terminal and nothing could be done about it. In the nine to ten weeks Wendy had left with her family, they came up with the idea of the charity.

Jill Harker, who worked as a teaching assistant at Romanby Primary School before retiring, said: “We are all so proud of Elise for what she is doing to raise money for her mum’s charity and are looking forward to The Big Cut next month. By helping fund research into eye cancer, we hope that one day there will be a cure that prevents other families from losing loved ones. The support for Wendy’s Wish has been overwhelming and we hope to raise as much as possible in memory of Wendy, who was loved by so many people.”

Donations can be made at the coffee evening, contributed online via; justgiving.com/crowdfunding/wendys-wish or by contacting Jill Harker on email; wendyswish2017@gmail.com, for more information on ways to get involved.

Updates on other fundraising events for the charity can be found on Facebook; facebook.com/Wendys-Wish-435892196750200

The Big Cut coffee evening begins at 7pm and Elise will be having her hair cut by local hairdresser Emma Smith, from Emma’s Little Salon, in front of friends and family.

The Big Cut coffee evening begins at 7pm and Elise will be having her hair cut by local hairdresser Emma Smith, from Emma’s Little Salon, in front of friends and family.