A Sixth Form student will cut 12 inches off her hair after school for a Romford hospice that is close to her heart.

Brentwood School pupil Jess Ellis, 17, will be cutting her hair on Friday (May 28) to raise money for Saint Francis Hospice, which looked after her mum before she passed away in 2012.

The hair will be donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that supplies wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair, for example as a consequence of treatments like chemotherapy.

Jess aimed to raise £1,000 and has already surpassed this, reaching £2,318 and counting from 105 donations on GoFundMe.

Ahead of the big cut, Jess said: “Saint Francis Hospice has given me invaluable support over the past nine years, and I would like to give something back, and show my utmost gratitude for the guidance through grief they have given me.

“My long hair has always reminded me of my mum as I was lucky enough to get the hair gene from her, so deciding to cut it off albeit for a good cause has been a daunting decision to make.”

Donate to support Jess at https://www.gofundme.com