Wick niece’s sacrifice for her cherished aunt

Sarah Ayres, pictured, is ready for her big chop for charity D14161146a

Wick woman Sarah Ayres has not cut her hair for more than three years.

But at the end of the month, she will be shearing off her prized locks for Cancer Research as a loving tribute to her aunt Mary, who died on her birthday from the disease in 2000.

However Sarah, a support worker for the disability charity Mencap, said she had found it difficult to find people to support her charitable chop.

Sarah, 30, said: “I’ve got a lot of support from family and friends but I’ve found it really hard to get other people on board.”

Sarah, of Westway, described how she was rocked by the death of her aunt, who lived in the New Forest.

“I was just finishing school, so I must have been about 16,” she recounted. “I used to stay over hers fairly often.

“We were both fairly close. When I went to visit her in hospital and I saw how ill she was, it was horrible.

“She was riddled with cancer. So when she passed away it was very hard.”

Sarah, who has two young sons aged 11 and six, said she aimed to raise a ‘dream amount’ of £200 which she would donate to Cancer Research UK.

She added that she hoped to donate her hair, which is more than 12 inches long, to the Little Princesses Trust, which makes real-hair wigs, for children across the UK and Ireland who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.

Speaking about the chop, Sarah said she was slightly apprehensive as she has never shaved all of her hair.

“I’ve cut it pretty short a few times,” she said. “But shaving it all off – no, I’ve never done that.”

Sarah’s family are all backing her effort.

“My sister says I have lovely hair and can’t understand why I’m cutting it,” she said. “But she has been really great. She said she is really proud of me.”

Sarah said that the thought of her aunt being there beside her would spur her on. “I know that she would have been standing right next to me if she was still with us,” she said.

Sarah’s haircut will be taking place on Tuesday, April 29 at Elliot’s hairdressing, in Wick Street, Wick from 2pm.

Donations can be delivered on the day.