AN inspirational teenager looks completely different after generously donating 17 inches of her hair to charity.

Hannah Birch, from Halstead, who celebrated her 18th birthday on Monday, faced the scissors on Saturday at Dale’s Hair Salon in the town.

The teenager, who also leads the HAPPY youth group in Halstead, decided to donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust charity, which makes wigs for children and young people who have lost their own hair battling cancer.

She decided to lose her long locks to mark her birthday after realising there are many others who sadly have not had the healthy childhood she enjoyed.

As well as donating her hair, Hannah is running a Facebook fundraiser to raise cash for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

In just a few weeks, the fundraiser has seen a whopping £825 donated by residents, smashing her £500 target, which started out at just £100.

Hannah said: “The experience was incredible and I felt honoured to think that someone else will get to enjoy the hair I loved so much.

“It was a strange feeling seeing the plaits laying there. It felt quite surreal and I think I was in shock for a little while after I’d had it done.

“Dale did a wonderful job with my hair, and I would honestly recommend anyone thinking of doing a similar thing to do it because I think the change is good for your hair and to think someone else is benefitting so greatly from it is humbling.

“I miss my long hair, but it was so worth it to have raised £825.

“It has made my 18th birthday so special knowing I’ve made someone else as happy as I have been and I hope they feel the love from the gesture that I’ve been surrounded by all weekend.”

Hannah now hopes to break the £1,000 barrier for Great Ormond Street Hospital

She added: “I would love to hit the £1,000 mark. I’ve left the fundraiser open until the end of October so we’ve still got time and it’s slowly creeping up each day.

“I never expected to surpass £100, so £1,000 would be a dream.”

n To donate, visit facebook.com/donate/2418392261788092/