A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl has had her long locks chopped off to raise money for CLIC Sargent after her younger brother was diagnosed with cancer.

Clara Harding, who attends North Bradley Primary School, was distraught when her five-year-old brother Luke was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in April and wanted to show her support.

On Thursday she braved the scissors at Scottie’s Hair Design in Trowbridge and had 15 inches of her hair chopped off, which she sent to the Little Princess Trust, and in the process raised £1,100 for CLIC Sargent.

Mum Anna, of College Gardens, North Bradley, said: “Clara and Luke have such a strong bond and it shows with how caring and loving she has been and how important it was for her to raise money.

“My husband Richard and I were incredibly proud of her when she came to us with the idea.

​"She was itching to have it done as soon as possible but we told her to wait a little longer so her hair would grow longer and she would have more to donate to the charity.

“After the haircut she found it really strange; she kept trying to grab her ponytail before remembering it was no longer there.

“Her classmates at school have been amazing, all donating their pocket money to help bring her up to the amazing total of £1,100.”

Mrs Harding added that it has been a difficult period for the family since Luke’s diagnosis but he is now doing well and in remission.

It was initially suspected that the keen swimmer, who also attends North Bradley Primary School, had meningitis but a blood test revealed it was in fact leukaemia and he was transferred to Bristol Children’s Hospital.

The hair donated by Clara will be used by the trust to make wigs for children who, like Luke, are losing their hair as a result of cancer treatment.

In April, Mr Harding, 44, is going to run the Southampton Marathon to raise more money for CLIC Sargent and the family are also planning a coffee morning.

On top of that, Mr and Mrs Harding are going to take on the RUH Forever Friends Appeal's Walk of Life in May to raise money for the hospital's children's ward, where they have spent lots of their time since the diagnosis.

James McDonald, fundraising manager for CLIC Sargent, said: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to Clara for taking on this brave challenge and becoming a real ‘life-shaver’ for young people with cancer.

"We rely entirely on donations to fund our vital work and so we can’t thank Clara enough for her fantastic effort."

To donate to Clara’s appeal go to https://www.justgiving.com/clarasbob?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fundraisingpage& utm_content=clarasbob&utm_ campaign=pfp-share