Man donates hair to children's cancer charity

A man who started growing his hair in 2020 after his father died from cancer is donating it to a charity that makes wigs for children who lose their hair through treatment or illness.

Tim Howson had his locks shorn at the pub where he works, the Ye Old Ferrie Inn in Symonds Yat, near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

He did it in tribute to his father, who was a transgender woman, as one of her favourite things about being a woman was her hair.

Mr Howson is donating his hair to the Herefordshire charity The Little Princess Trust, which has given wigs to thousands of children and is a key funder of research into childhood cancer.

He said: "My dad passed away in 2020. She got diagnosed with cancer back in 2019 and she was always proud of her hair... That's why I started growing it.

"The original idea back then, in 2020, was to donate to the Little Princess Trust."

He said having long hair had been "a new thing" for him and he had "a new appreciation" for it, but he added: "It's quite difficult to manage and I would just put it up in a bun."

After having his head shaved, he said he felt very emotional, and it was "a bit weird" to look in the mirror while holding his hair in his hand.

Mr Howson said people had been so supportive, it had been "fantastic", and he added: "I'm very lucky, the area that I live - everyone's so kind and generous."

Local resident Tracy Carter, who herself supports the charity and set up the online fundraising page for Mr Howson's "mane event" said the amount he had raised - more than £4,000 - was huge.

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