Portsmouth youngster ready to say goodbye to long hair and donate it to charity

Dylan Hibberd will be getting his hair cut and donating it to the Little Princess Trust to be made into a wig. Picture by Duncan Shepherd

CARING Dylan Hibberd has spent the past 18 months growing his hair so he can donate it to children who have not got any.

The 11-year-old will cut his long locks in a few weeks’ time and will be sending it off to be made into a wig by charity the Little Princess Trust.

Dylan, from Portsmouth, decided to grow his hair because he liked having it long.

But after watching a programme about children with conditions like cancer and alopecia, which cause hair loss, he decided he would donate it.

Dylan Hibberd with his long hair. Picture by Duncan Shepherd

The youngster has spent more than a year ensuring it will be long and healthy when he faces the chop.

He said: ‘At first I was growing my hair because I like having long hair anyway.

‘But then after watching a television programme with my mum, we said it would be a good idea to donate it and I thought why not?

‘Looking after it hasn’t been particularly hard as long as you don’t mess with it too much.’

Dylan’s hair will be almost 12 inches when he cuts it off in a few weeks’ time.

Although growing it long has been easy, he has faced some teasing from children for its length.

His mum Samantha said: ‘He’s such an empathetic child.

‘To put yourself in a situation where you know you’ll get picked on, despite everything that’s going on - he just doesn’t care and it makes us so proud.

‘He is a loving boy with a huge heart.’

As well as donating the hair, Dylan is hoping to raise the cash needed to make it into a wig.

His fundraising pack from the Little Princess Trust has arrived and his family are supporting him by photocopying the sponsor sheet and taking it into work, school and to social events.

His grandad is the owner of Portsmouth cafe Mumms Cafe, in Southsea, and has a sponsor sheet for customers wanting to make a donation.

Alongside these efforts, Samantha has created a JustGiving page so people can donate online.

Dylan’s teacher is hoping the haircut itself can be held in assembly to raise awareness of his efforts.

They are working to organise a professional hairdresser to do the cut.

To make a donation to Dylan visit justgiving.com/fundraising/dylan-hibberd.