By 
NINE-year-old Ballygawley girl Mia Askin is preparing to do something remarkable.
Inspired by a charity haircutting event she attended when she was just four, the young St Malachy’s Glencull pupil is now set to donate eight inches of her hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that creates real-hair wigs for children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatment or other conditions.
“I have been growing my hair for a few years and I am really nervous,” said Mia. “I saw a haircutting a few years ago and heard about what the hair was used for – it just made me want to do it myself so I could help someone else in need.”
The big event will take place on Sunday, June 22 at 2pm in St Malachy’s Primary School, Glencull, and will include a coffee and tea morning with music, fun, and games.
It’s an open invitation to the whole community to come together and support Mia’s kind-hearted mission.
Her mother, Sinead Askin, recalled the moment that first sparked Mia’s interest in the cause.
“When Mia was four-years-old, she attended a Little Princess Trust hair cutting fundraiser and coming away from it she asked, could she do that someday,” Sinead said.
“She was fascinated to learn that little girls can lose their hair through cancer.
“This made her even more determined to grow her hair and host her very own hair cutting event, so that her hair could be donated in order for other little girls to feel like princesses again!”
The Little Princess Trust doesn’t just provide wigs. The charity is also one of the UK’s largest funders of childhood cancer research, dedicated to finding kinder and more effective treatments.
Sinead added, “The Little Princess Trust relies solely on the generosity of its wonderful supporters who help the charity give Hair and Hope to so many children and young people with cancer each year.”
Mia’s brave gesture is already inspiring others, and her efforts will make a real difference in the lives of young people facing some of their toughest days.
Donations can be made online at www.justgiving.com/page/sinead-askin-1