A teenager had her foot-long plait cut off so she could donate her hair to be made into a wig for a child with cancer.

Inspired by singer Jessie J, who had her head shaved for Comic Relief, Hannah Bird, 14, had the chop in front of fellow members of First Waltham Abbey Guides at the town’s Elphwood Hall.

She will donate her hair and money she has raised from friends and family to the charity Little Princesses, which gives wigs to children who have lost their hair through cancer treatment such as chemotherapy.

The resident of Roundhills, Waltham Abbey, who attends King Harold school, said: “I was a bit worried, but this was a big incentive to do it.

“Jessie J donated her hair and I thought it would be nice to do the same.

“It feels special, because especially when you’re a little girl, your hair is your pride and joy and a source of confidence.

“I had all this hair and some other girls don’t have any.”

Hannah also received the Baden Powell award for her work with the Guides during the event on Tuesday evening.