A BARRHEAD barmaid has served up a boost for brave kids who are battling cancer.

Elleigh Thompson, who works at the Cross Stobs Inn, decided to wave goodbye to her long locks after they grew and grew during months of lockdown.

And that gave her the perfect opportunity to support the Little Princess Trust, which provides free wigs to youngsters who lose their hair while undergoing cancer treatment.

Elleigh, 18, was able to donate 12 inches of her hair and has also been raising money for the worthy cause through a JustGiving page, which will be used to cover the costs of making the wigs and funding research into childhood cancer.

She said: “This is something I have always wanted to do for the Little Princess Trust and, over lockdown, my hair had grown really long, so I thought it would be selfish for me to keep it for myself when I could give it to someone else.

“I got my hair cut at Trisha Harte Hairdressing, in Eastwood. I’ve been going there since I was a little girl and she didn’t charge me because it’s for charity.

“It feels so strange, as I’ve always had long hair. I feel about 10 stones lighter.”

Elleigh, from Newton Mearns, set a fundraising target of £250 on her JustGiving page but quickly smashed that, with more than £1,000 donated so far.

“I’m trying to raise as much as I can to cover the cost of making the wigs,” said the former Eastwood High pupil. “They cost around £550 to make.”

Wendy Tarplee-Morris, founder of the Little Princess Trust, is full of praise for Elleigh.
She said: “We are so grateful to Elleigh for thinking of us and donating her hair to our charity.

“It is also really pleasing to hear how long her donation is. We have a big demand for our longer wigs, so to hear that she managed to have 12 inches cut is brilliant.

“The huge sum of money she has raised will not only help us to provide a wig to a young person at a very difficult time in their life but will also help us fund research which aims to find kinder and more effective treatments for childhood cancers.”

To support Elleigh’s fundraising efforts, make a donation here.