A boy from Rendlesham has reached his £150 goal to raise money for a homelessness charity - by growing his hair to help children with cancer.
Ten-year-old Christopher Haynes has been raising money for Helping Hands Suffolk after deciding to donate his hair to the Little Princess Trust – a charity that makes wigs for youngsters battling cancer.
For the past two years, Christopher has been committed to growing his hair long in order to donate it to those less fortunate. His mum Christina explained the day Christopher decided to grow his hair.
She said: “He came home from school having learnt something in assembly about the Little Princess Trust and children who had lost their hair.
“He was so upset at the prospect that children would get poorly through chemotherapy. He asked if he could grow his hair and I said yes.”
Ms Haynes said that at first, she wasn’t sure Christopher would stick with it for as long as he has done.
“Christopher has an autism spectrum disorder so we weren’t really sure he would see it through. But he seemed really persistent about it.
“There had been a few occasions where he would literally grab his hair and say ‘oh mummy it’s driving me mad'.
“We’re going to give it until October and then that gives him time to raise some money,” she added.
Ms Haynes explained that because Christopher is on the autism spectrum and has learning needs, he behaves younger than his age. His sensory disorder made growing his hair much more difficult.
“Things like having it brushed, which most people just get on with, he has found quite stressful because of his sensory issues. He’s just been adamant that he wants to do this,” she added.
In the process of growing his hair, Christopher wanted to raise money for Helping Hands Suffolk, a charity Ms Haynes volunteers at. He was delighted to be told that he had reached his goal.
He said: “I didn’t know. I think I’m going to faint!”
Ms Haynes said she is extremely proud of what her son has achieved.
She said: “For him to be struggling to go through everyday life because of his additional needs, and then wanting to give back to people, I’m just so proud.”
The go fund me page is still open for donations and can be found here.
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