A brave teen has chopped off her long locks to help make a wig for a young cancer sufferer.

Sophie Dewberry, who attends Gryphon Sixth Form in Sherborne, cut off 15 inches of her hair for The Little Princess Trust which makes wigs for children who have lost theirs due to cancer treatments, alopecia, or other illnesses.

Sophie, now 17, said she has wanted to grow her hair and donate it to charity since she was ten years old and this month, after years of growing it, finally plucked up the courage.

Despite feeling attached to her luscious locks Sophie said: “Recently, now that I'm much older, I've come to realise that my hair will grow back unlike the children who need these wigs.”

Each wig the Little Princess Trust make costs between £350 to £500 and is free to the children who receive them. Sophie has also been crowdfunding to raise the money for the wig making process.

Sophie said: “I've been waiting for my hair to get long enough so that a decent amount could be given to make a lovely long wig. When the wig is being made a proportion of it is lost due to the weaving therefore by donating more a longer length wig can be made.”

Since going for the chop Sophie has died her hair purple and styled it in a curly bob which she says she "loves.”

An avid fundraiser Sophie has previously held cake sales for Coeliac UK and Comic Relief.

She has recently taken part in her second Race for Life and has also helped organise a charity ball as part of her hospitality AS level.

She said: "Doing something like is is just about giving awareness to other people that so much difference can be made by donating to charity whether that be through a cake sale, sponsoring someone doing a walk or cutting their hair.

"Everything done is a huge influence on the overall charity and it doesn't matter how big or small the gesture is, you're still making a positive contribution."

To donate to Sophie visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sophie-dewberry