A mum and her nine-year-old daughter will cut their long locks in support of children who have lost their hair through illness.

Janine Lawrence and her eldest child Helen Jury, from Rochester Road, Aylesford, have pledged to donate more than 14 inches of their dark brown strands to the Little Princess Trust.

The charity provides wigs for youngsters who have undergone cancer treatments or been diagnosed with conditions such as alopecia. Each hairpiece costs about £350 and so far the duo have raised £75. Their challenge is in memory of Miss Lawrence’s step-nan, Jean Seal, from Larkfield. Mrs Seal, who was in her early 70s, lost her battle with bowel cancer in July.

Shortly after her death, Miss Lawrence, a trauma counsellor at Kent Police, discovered an envelope in Mrs Seal’s handbag with £500 she had saved to buy a wig made from real hair.

Miss Lawrence, who is 36 tomorrow (Saturday), said: “It’s sad to think she had saved up so much money and hadn’t been able to buy one. It made me think of all the other people who save to buy a wig and I wanted to help.

“I decided to cut my hair off and then Helen said ‘Mummy, I want to cut mine off too’ so we will do it together.

“We’ve both got really long hair down to our waists. I’ve never had short hair in my life so it will be a big change.”

They will go for the chop on Friday, July 26, which marks the first anniversary of Mrs Seal’s death but they have yet to find a salon to do the honours.

Miss Lawrence’s partner, Malcom Jury, will be there with the couple’s two-year-old son Jared, and the mother-of-two’s grandfather, Malcolm Seal.