BRAVE seven-year-old Sophia Gray astonished her mum after asking to have her hair chopped off to help children with cancer.

Kind-hearted Sophia, who attends St Mary & St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Wool, had 14 inches of her beloved brown locks cut in aid of The Little Princess Trust, a charity that makes wigs for children who’ve suffered hair loss through cancer treatment.

Sophia, now sporting a nifty bob, came up with the idea after watching a television programme on child cancer. She said: “This made me sad as they were sad. I think everyone should smile and these children weren’t because they had no hair.

“I am donating my hair to them so they can have a nice beautiful wig and be happy like a princess.”

The plucky youngster had her haircut at Wareham’s New Image salon on Thursday. She’s already raised almost £600 for the charity as well.

Proud mum Laura said: “She came up with this idea all by herself after watching a TV programme which discussed it. She amazed me by stating she wanted to do this.

“She has always loved her long hair so this was a big thing for her to do. I think she is an amazing little girl for wanting to do this and I am incredibly proud of her.”

A Little Princes Trust spokesman said while some boys and girls cope “remarkably well” after suffering hair loss as a side effect of cancer treatment, for others “this can be very upsetting.”

The spokesman explained: “We work with specialist suppliers and experienced hairdressers who offer wigs tailored to the individual child’s need to give the most realistic look and feel, as close as possible to their original hair.”

To donate to Sophia’s cause visit justgiving.com/Sophia-gray8