A TORFAEN woman has donated 16 and a half inches of her hair to a charity, which makes wigs for children cancer sufferers.

Natalie Evans, 23, from Sebastopol, whose hair covered the whole length of her back, had a free haircut at Salon Eighteen to raise money and awareness for Little Princess Trust.

Ms Evans' hair now rests just above her shoulders and she has already raised more than £500 for the charity.

She said: "I have always had really long hair, so I am sad to see it go, but my hair will grow back and the Little Princess Trust is such a worthwhile cause.

"The charity makes wigs to suit each individual child in terms of colour and length.

"I haven't cut my hair for over two years but about six months ago I decided I might get it trimmed.

"My friend who donates hair fairly regularly suggested I do the same. I had never heard of the charity before but since finding out about it, I thought it would be a nice idea to donate my hair.

"It had got to the stage where I was getting headaches everyday because I had to tie my hair back all the time at work. It feels much better now and will be easier to manage.

Ms Evans' haircut lasted for more than two hours.

She said: "I was expecting the hairdresser to just chop it off, but the staff at Salon Eighteen were brilliant. They did everything including washing, blow-drying and styling and have even helped to promote my fundraising.

"The charity helps little boys as well as little girls who have lost their hair. These children must be going through such a tough time as it is.

"It's bad enough when an adult loses their hair, I can't imagine how children feel about it.

"I have had a couple of older relatives in my family who have been cancer sufferers and my boyfriend's mum lost all of her hair because of breast cancer. These things were definitely factors, which spurred me on."