SCHOOLGIRL Amy Prince has sacrificed her long hair to raise hundreds of pounds for a North-East hospice and make wigs for children undergoing cancer treatments.

When Amy, from Billingham, needed a hair cut, she asked her grandma, June Prince, if she could use the opportunity to raise money but wasn’t sure which charity to support.

June said: “I live near to Butterwick Hospice, so I suggested to Amy that she could help them. There are so many charities out there, but Butterwick is very close to home for us.”

Amy, who is now 11 and attends St John The Evangelist R C Primary School, in Billingham, took sponsorship forms into class and invited friends and teachers to support her efforts.

She has raised £520 for the hospice, and donated 16 inches of hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatments and other conditions.

The cut was performed at Sei Bella hair salon, in Norton, where Amy impressed her grandma with her commitment.

“I’m so proud of her,” June said. “At the last minute when she was in the chair, I said to her that it still wasn’t too late to change her mind, but she said ‘No, Grandma, I want to do it’.”

Amy and her grandma visited Butterwick Hospice to deliver the money and June added: “She was a bit nervous about going into the hospice, but once we were there she was really glad to see everything. It’s a wonderful place, and it was a lovely experience.”

Elaine Dunning, fundraiser for Butterwick Hospice Care, said: “This is a wonderful gift which we are very grateful to Amy for. We’re incredibly appreciative that she and her grandma thought of Butterwick when considering charities to support, and it was a pleasure to welcome Amy to the hospice and show her the good work her kindness is helping to support.”