A Harpenden schoolgirl has donated 12 inches of her hair to support three different charities, and help families and children suffering from illness.
St George’s pupil Eilidh Dunwoodie, 14, took on the project following her confirmation at Our Lady of Lourdes church in Harpenden.
The charities are The Little Princess Trust, Macmillan, and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which are particularly close to Eilidh’s heart due to the work these charities have done to help her family recover from disease.
Eilidh said: “I chose BHF as two years ago my grandad had a heart attack and ended up needing quadruple bypass surgery.
“It was touch and go for a while and we were all very worried about him but he has made a full recovery and a new lease of life and was able to travel over last week from Ireland for my confirmation at church.
“We both thought that wouldn’t happen two years ago and I want other children to have longer with their grandparents through advances in heart procedures.”
Each of these charities have raised millions of pounds for research into life-threatening diseases such as cancer and heart failure, and helped provide services and support for millions of people across Britain.
While Eilidh takes pride in her long hair at school, she knows this project is bigger than herself: “My mum did this a couple of years ago and I always wanted to do it too but couldn’t bring myself to cut my hair shorter until now.
“I’ve always loved having really long thick hair. Now I know I’m blessed to have this hair and mine will grow back and it’s something I can do, a small thing, that will make a big difference to the recipient of my hair.”
Eilidh, who is just starting her GCSEs in Year 9 at St George’s, is no stranger to charity work as she also performs concerts for the elderly residents of St Matthew’s Care Home in Redbourn. In 2015 she won the Herts Ad School Awards Pupil of the Year accolade and was runner-up for Sports Achievement.
She has already raised over £600 in support of her charities, but wants to raise more.
To donate and help Eilidh reach her £1,000 target, visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/eilidhdunwoodiehair today.
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