A FIREFIGHTER-IN-TRAINING from Westbury is having her head shaved to raise money for charity.

Michelle Smart is one of the newest recruits to the town's fire station and she decided to have her long locks cut off near her Brabant Way home on Saturday to support the Fire Fighters Charity and donate the hair to the Little Princess Trust.

She joined the team earlier this year and is looking forward to the day she finishes training and can join her colleagues as they respond to emergency 999 calls.

She said: "They do an amazing job, they risk their lives and I want to do something to help them because they need all the support they can get.

"Training has been going slow but steady, it's a long process and I can't wait to complete it. You have to be quite fit but I'm getting there and will never give up, I'm not a quitter, I know I can do it.

"I like to help everybody, I'm friendly and I want to be out there helping save lives. My colleagues are a good bunch of people, they have made me feel welcome and think what I'm doing is awesome."

Michelle's hair has grown down to her waist so the big shave will

"I thought about doing the head shave earlier in the year but chickened out because I didn't think I could do it, it's a big step. I'm both excited and nervous now. I think seeing myself in the mirror the morning after will be the biggest shock.

"People have tried talking me out of doing it because I love my hair, but I'm determined, the firefighters are worth every inch of it.

She's already raised £700 in just a few weeks, an amount that surprised her and exceeded all expectations. Michelle hopes this is the first of many fundraising challenges she does for the charity and is already thinking of the next one.

She added: "I want to help our community and be there for people that want someone to talk to and want advice, I want to advise the younger generation on how to prevent any incidents and keep themselves safe.

"A massive thank-you to all the governors and friends and colleagues at HMP Erlestoke Prison in supporting me as well as everybody on Facebook and my family."

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