A young girl who asked her mum “What can I do to help children not as lucky as me?” has braved having her long blonde locks cut off – and also roped in her sister and mum to donate a combined 23 inches of hair to charity.

Nine-year-old Lily May Bacon from Helston will now donate nine inches of her hair, as well as seven inches from both her mum Liza and four-year-old sister Maisie, to the Little Princess Trust, along with at least £748 in fundraising.

The charity makes wigs for children who have lost their hair through chemotherapy or other medical conditions.

Liza said: “For about a year she has been asking, ‘What can I do to help children who aren’t as lucky as me?’

“Then, because she had a friend who donated her hair to charity, she said, ‘Can I have my hair cut and donate it to girls who have lost their hair because of cancer, and then they can have a wig?’

“To support her I thought, ‘My hair is so long, how can I just watch and not have my hair cut?’ Maisie was happy to do the same as her sister.

“Lily May is such a lovely, kind-hearted girl, we are all so proud of her.”

The family has so far raised £374 in donations, including online at justgiving.com/fundraising/lilymaybacon where money can still be donated. Liza’s employer Boots has said it will match the final total raised.

Liza said Lily May now can’t wait to return to Parc Eglos Primary School after the half term, to show her friends her new hairdo.

“She’s really chuffed to have helped children,” added Liza, who said: “It’s really nice as a mum to have a caring daughter who wants to do something like that. I was the one who was nervous about the haircut – she didn’t wobble at all.”

She thanked Meneage Street salon Honeycomb for carrying out the cut and waiving the fee, which Liza has instead added to the fundraising pot.