Preston girl who had temporary bell's palsy wants to spare children with hair loss from getting stared at by donating her hair to The Little Princess Trust

Eleven-year-old Ellie Thompson, of Preston, will have 12 inches of her long blonde hair cut off to donate to The Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to illnesses.

The Fulwood High Pupil will also get sponsorship, raising funds for Brian House Children’s Hospice in Blackpool.

Her mum, Joanne Smith, said: “Back in October 2017 we were going to the cinema and Ellie said her face felt strange and really big. We got back and her face looked like she had a stroke. Half her face had dropped. It was awful. The bell’s palsy lasted for six months and was quite bad. She still has slight signs of it now, but you wouldn’t tell unless you knew.“She hated it as people would stare at her and she got really upset. It was a hard time for her but she carried on and went to school, which back then was Lea St Mary’s Primary School.“She said that she wanted to donate her hair to make wigs because when you have no hair, people stare and she used to hate it when that happened to her.

“Ellie goes to Preston Dragons dragonboat racing club and one of the members there is also a volunteer at Brian House who does a lot of fund-raising. As Ellie knew she wanted to donate her hair, she thought about raising money for the children’s hospice too.“I will feel sad when she has her hair cut as it is so thick and beautiful but I am so proud of her. She has overcome so many obstacles but she carries on.”

Ellie said: “I had an illness when I was nine or 10 that made my face look a bit deformed and made people look at me differently. I don’t want children with no hair to be looked at differently either.“It will be nice to have a change with my hair and I would like to thank everybody who has sponsored me so far. It means so much to me and I really want to help children with no hair.”

Ellie will have her hair cut at her aunt Kelly Holmes’s salon Rare Hair and Beauty, in Plungington Road, on Saturday, July 20.To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ellie-jothompson