A 12-YEAR-OLD schoolboy from Basingstoke is braving his very first hair cut this week in aid of the Little Princess Trust.

Arthur Whitcher from Winklebury will be having at least 16 inches of his long locks chopped off at Trilby's barbershop in Festival Place on Thursday, July 8.

His mum, Cllr Angie Freeman, told the Gazette: “He is 12-and-a-half and he’s never ever had his hair cut, and it’s obviously got quite a long length to it now.

“We were going to get it all cut off before he started secondary school last summer, but because of the pandemic it got postponed, but now the weather is getting warmer and this is what he wants to do.”

The Vyne School student can currently sit on his hair, and plans to get it snipped to shoulder length, which Angie says is “at least” 16 inches.

Sharing her reaction to her son’s decision, Angie added: “I’m not looking forward to it, but it’s what he wants and it’s his hair at the end of the day! He wants to give it to the charity but I think it will be a bit of a shock seeing him with short hair after all these years.”

She continued: “The guy who owns Trilbys is lovely, I trust the people there completely to not cut off more than he wants or anything.”

As well as donating his hair to the Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to illness, Arthur hopes to raise as much money as possible for the charity, which needs £500 to make each wig.

To support his fundraising efforts, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/arthurs1sthaircut