Earlier last year, Carly Gorton, 10, started to explore donating her hair to ‘the Little Princess Trust’, a charity which accepts donated hair to make wigs for young people who have lost theirs because of treatments for cancer and other conditions.
Unfortunately, when she first approached the charity, Carly was told that her hair could not be accepted for technical reasons. The Little Princess Trust, said it could not use Afro hair with traditional wig-making methods as it was too delicate.
Undeterred by this technicality, Carly worked tirelessly with the Little Princess Trust and they have now teamed up with a professional London wig-maker to make its first product using her hair.
To mark this milestone achievement, Carly had her hair cut off at school in front of her fellow Year 6 pupils in the final assembly of the term. She was also cheered on virtually by the rest of her school who watched via a live stream from their classrooms. Before her cut, Carly led an inspiring assembly sharing her journey to this point.
“I’ve been waiting to donate my hair for so long.” Carly said. “I am so happy and thank The Little Princess Trust. I am happy also because a mixed-race child, who has lost their hair, will benefit from hair like mine. I hope in the future, other children like me will be able to donate their hair to be used in wigs.”
Carly’s Mum, Anna Mudeka, praised the charity for championing her daughter’s cause. “We are incredibly proud of Carly – her determination has helped change ways that wig industries operate in this country.”