AN 81-YEAR-OLD grandfather is cutting off his ponytail to raise money for a cause close to his heart.

Geoff Kirby will say goodbye to his 15-inch ponytail in a bid to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, a charity focusing on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by the illness.

Mr Kirby, who lives in Lodmoor, Weymouth, has been growing his hair for the past five years, after he entered into a competition with his granddaughter, who is now aged eight, to see who could grow their hair the longest.

Despite losing the contest, Mr Kirby now has an impressive 15-inch ponytail - much to the dismay of his wife Sandy - which he is ready to say goodbye to, and thought there was no better reason to cut it off than to raise money for the MND Association.

He said: "My wife and I know two people who sadly died of the disease not too long ago so I wanted to do something to help raise some money for the charity.

"I'm already up to more than £180 and I am hoping that I will raise around £800 in total.

"So many of my friends and my wife hate my long hair so they might donate more just to see the back of it!

"The ponytail goes with my character as I'm fairly keen on heavy metal music, so I will miss it. I expect my neck might get quite cold."

As well as raising money for the MND Association, Mr Kirby, a retired Ministry of Defence worker, is also planning on donating his hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.

Mr Kirby, a volunteer at the Nothe Fort evacuee experience to give school children an insight into what life was like during the Second World War, said: "I doubt the charity get donations from people my age - I hope it is okay."

To donate to Mr Kirby's JustGiving page, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/geoffrey-kirby1