Peterborough gymnastics club donate over 100 of inches of hair to make wigs for child cancer patients

Members from a Peterborough gymnastics club have donated over 100 inches of hair to charity inorder to make wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.
The hair donated by Spiral Gymnastic Club members to the Little Princess Trust.The hair donated by Spiral Gymnastic Club members to the Little Princess Trust.
The hair donated by Spiral Gymnastic Club members to the Little Princess Trust.

On Sunday (April 18) ten young gymnasts from Spiral Gymnastic Club in Bretton had their ponytails, which had been growing throughout lockdown, cut to donate to the Little Princess Trust.

The girls have also raised just short of £3000 between them to donate to the charity and the Just Giving Page remains open for donations at justgiving.com/fundraising/spiralprincesses.

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The Little Princess Trust was set up in 2006 to provide real hair wigs to young people up to the age of 24 who have experienced hair loss due to cancer treatment or other conditions, alongside funding research into finding better treatments for childhood cancers.

Hair cuts taking place at Spiral Gymnastics Club, Bretton.Hair cuts taking place at Spiral Gymnastics Club, Bretton.
Hair cuts taking place at Spiral Gymnastics Club, Bretton.

Each wig costs roughly £550 to make and monetary donations are also vital to help pay for research into children’s cancer treatments.

The hair cuts were given by two parents at the club, who are hairdressers by trade, Steph and Brenda, and this produced around 100 inches of hair that will be put to good use as part of new wigs.

The hair donations were made by squad members Bethan (7), Sophie (8), Bela (8), Harriet (8). Roberta (8), Amelie (9), Phoebe (11), Lucy (15), Tallulah (15) along with Lilly (10) from the club’s recreational classes.

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Spiral Coach and Leadership Academy Captain Julie Berry said: “I have a daughter who goes to the club myself and throughout lockdown her hair was getting longer and longer and I had heard about the work of the charity and how they make wigs to help give young people back their sense of identity and confidence.

“We’re a really tight knit group here and like to think of ourselves as the Spiral family so when others heard about the idea, they decided they wanted to get involved too.

“It was a really nice event on Sunday and everyone there was cheering each other on. It was a lovely thing for the girls to do, I know some of them were apprehensive at first, but it was good to recognise that there are people out there who are in more need of the hair than them.

The club itself has over 400 members and is open to all ages and abilities. They have recently been enjoying their first in-person sessions after being allowed to return on April 12, having been holding Zoom sessions in the meantime to keep the members engaged.

The club is owned by ex-Olympic gymnast Katherine Everett and is open to enquiries for new members. To find out more contact [email protected] and visit www.spiralgym.co.uk.