WHEN Holly and Elinor Cooper’s stepmother Clare started to lose her hair as a result of cancer treatment, she became depressed.

So her two daughters decided there was one thing they could do to make her feel more comfortable – and that was to have their heads shaved too.

The girls donated all their shaved hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides real-hair wigs to boys and girls across the UK who have also lost their hair through treatment.

What’s more, the two sisters also used their head shave as a chance to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Holly admits she felt terrified at times about the prospect of shaving her hair which was very long, but knew she was doing the right thing.

She explains: “When raising money for charity it is important to do something that is truly challenging, knowing that the people we are raising money for are challenged on a daily basis.”

Holly also had support in her fundraising efforts from Simone Thomas of Hair Loss Bournemouth who has supported Clare throughout her ordeal.

Holly explains: “My stepmum went to loads of wig shops before finding Simone. Simone is totally different from all the other shops around as she truly understands what my stepmum is going through. She is such a lovely person and her hair replacement systems are incredible.

“Since the first time my stepmum went to see Simone at her salon she has been amazingly supportive. When we told Simone about our idea to help our stepmum and raise money for the charity she was a 100 per cent behind us and has been really helpful.”

Simone supported Holly and Elinor, by shaving their heads herself at the Westbourne-based salon free of charge, alongside helping with their fundraising efforts.

Simone told the Echo: “What Holly and Elinor did for their stepmum is amazing!

“Having suffered from hair loss myself I know how important hair can be to a woman and so to voluntarily shave it off in support of their stepmum is such an incredible gesture.

“I love working with their step-mum. Clare is a fantastic client and it is my pleasure to help both her and her stepdaughters wherever I can.”