Rather than focusing on receiving gifts for her 8th birthday, one very brave little girl from Lurgan is giving a gift instead… with a donation of her hair.
On October 19, Amber Calvert will turn eight years old. Aside from having her ‘split ends’ taken off, she has never in her young life had a real hair cut.
But, this year Amber has “out of the blue” decided to brave the chop for her birthday and she will be donating those luscious and very well cared for locks to The Little Princess Trust.
Speaking to Armagh I, Amber’s mum, Amanda explained that, while it’s not entirely clear where the idea came from, it may have started brewing in her little mind when she started swimming lessons.
“It was last year and after swimming one day we forgot to bring conditioner and we were fighting to get the tangles out of her hair. Then she asked, ‘Would my hair be long enough to give it to someone to make them happy?'”
She didn’t speak about it again until a few days ago, when she asked her mum to “measure her hair”. The ruler came out of the schoolbag, her hair was measured and Amber asked, “Can I do this for my birthday?”
Some of the many creative styles that Amber says she will miss with her new, shorter hair
Alongside the donation of her hair – which will be used to create real hair wigs for children fighting cancer – Amber has also launched an additional fundraising effort to further support the charity.
Amanda said: “We have planned a party at Brownstown Jubilee Community Centre. This year we are thinking about doing what Amber is calling a coffee evening, to raise money for The Little Princess Trust in the hours of her party.”
The coffee evening will be held on Tuesday, October 28 from 4pm to 6pm, and Amber would be delighted if anyone would be willing to donate buns and traybakes or even just come along to enjoy the event, celebrate her birthday and support a worthwhile cause.
Of the big chop Amanda said: “If she was to get it cut right now it would be 25cms and you need a minimum of 30cms, but that’s going to where your shirt collar would be. If she goes for a shorter bob she would get the 30cms.”
To which Amber piped up, “I’m fine with that!”
And, while they are hoping to achieve Amber’s birthday wish on the day, mum has a back-up plan should the nerves kick in.
“I have been trimming her hair her entire life,” said Amanda, who has an NVQ in Hairdressing. “But I wouldn’t be confident enough for an entire restyle. We have a friend and a cousin who would both be able to do it but if she doesn’t want it done on the day and can’t handle the eyes on her it’s OK. We can go to the hairdresser together and do it in her own time.”
Amber admits she is very nervous and the one thing she will miss is all of the hairstyles her mummy can do. But, she knows her donation will make a massive impact on the lives of other children.
“We are so proud of her and because she did come up with the idea herself and we don’t want her to feel pressure about it,” said Amanda.
“But she’s buzzing about it and each donation that comes in, she’s so excited about it!”
Click here to make a donation to Amber’s GoFundMe page for The Little Princess Trust.
