SCHOOLGIRL Leila Ritchley wanted to grow her hair for the Little Princess Trust to make a wig for a child with cancer.

Then the kind-hearted six-year-old spotted the chance to help yet another good cause - by getting her effort sponsored by family and friends to raise money for Christchurch charity, Ashley's Birthday Bank.

Mum Sian Ritchley said: "Even at her young age, Leila understands that some children are not as lucky as her, and wanted to buy beds and bedding for children who are currently sleeping on bare floors, on old mattresses on the floor, or just on thin blankets."

Leila's original target was £500 but she's smashed through that, to raise more than £750.

Her mum said Leila would be choosing a bed and bedding herself for one child in need. "She is so excited about how she can improve this child's life," she said.

Ashley's Birthday Bank helps families in poverty or distress and can provide beds for those who don't have them, or who require a specific model of furniture, such as a child who has been sexually assaulted in their own room and needs a new bed with a hideaway canopy underneath, so they can feel safe.

Leila heard about the work of Ashley's Birthday Bank through her grandmother, Lynn, who is one of the trustees.

Her blonde hair has been sent to the Little Princess Trust where it will be made into a wig for a child who has lost their hair due to chemotherapy, or disease.