A selfless schoolgirl has lopped off most of her locks in a bid to help out two charities.

Fellow students at Archbishop Courtenay Primary School in Eccleston Road, Maidstone looked on as Year 4 pupil Ella Amess had 13.5inches of her hair cut during a full school assembly on Friday.

The nine-year-old has donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust, an organisation which provides free real hair wigs to children and young adults who have sadly lost their own hair due to cancer treatment ,while also raising £427 for Make-A-Wish Foundation, which provides experiences to youngsters with life-threatening medical conditions.

Ella’s mum Emma Amess looked on as her daughter’s hair was trimmed.

She said: “I was so nervous for her, all of the school was watching, but she did it.

“The school were really good at explaining why Ella was doing it and I’m just really proud of her.”