THREE nursery nurses and a mother sacrificed their long locks for charity to help children who have lost their own hair.

Between them Elizabeth Castle, Catherine Elmer, Rebecca Bann and Surita Mukthapuram had 42 inches of hair cut off – all of which will be donated to the Little Princess Trust.

The quartet had their hair cut last Saturday at Teddies Nursery, in Chequers Road, Basingstoke where Elizabeth, Catherine and Rebecca all work as nursery nurses.

Elizabeth, 24, said: “Because we work with children, we wanted to do something to help children, and I came across this charity online.

“Our hair will go towards making wigs for children who for whatever reason have lost their hair. The most common reason is cancer but it can also be because of things such as alopecia.”

Elizabeth, from Eastrop, Basingstoke, added: “It’s something that I had wanted to do for a while and it was great that the others were also happy to take part.”

Elizabeth had about nine inches of her hair cut off, Catherine, 24, had seven inches cut off, Rebecca 12 inches and Surita, the mother of a child who attends the nursery, decided to join in at the last minute and had 14 inches of hair cut off. All four now have hair down to their shoulders.

Rebecca, 17, of Franklin Avenue, Tadley, said: “It will take a little while to get used to not having so much hair, and it does feel a little bit strange, but it’s all for a good cause.”

The four women are also raising money for Little Princess Trust to cover their costs of making their wigs and have smashed their target of £350, raising £600 so far. There is a box in the nursery where donations can be made.