Sarah, 10, goes the extra 100 miles for children’s cancer charity!

Delighted P7 pupil raises almost four times her target

Our superstar student, Sarah Seatter, walked 100 miles during the summer holidays to raise money for a children’s cancer charity.

The Papdale Primary School P7 pupil also braved the chop last week, donating a whopping 16 inches of hair to the Little Princess Trust who make wigs for children who have lost their hair.

Sarah had initially hoped to raise £550 and donate her golden locks to allow one wig to be made – however, the generosity of the public, far and wide, saw the total reach more than £2,000 – enough for three wigs, almost four, to be made. There’s still time to donate to Sarah's Just Giving page if you are quick.

Sarah loves her new funky hairstyle and turned blue into the bargain thanks to hairdresser Emma Jayne Fitzpatrick!

She wanted to thank everyone for being so generous.

“I’m so chuffed that we have managed to raise far more money than we had hoped at the beginning. If anyone would like to sponsor me a peedie bit more, we could donate enough for four wigs which would just be brilliant.

“I’m glad that we did the walks as it meant we could explore lots of Orkney we hadn’t been to before which was good fun. I’m really pleased with my new haircut and turning blue!”

Parents Heather-Louise and Chris are very proud of Sarah, and their other two children, Emma and James, who also took part in the walks.

Heather-Louise said: “We are delighted with the money raised and would like to say a huge thank you to all who sponsored Sarah, and to Emma for the new hairdo. It’s been so much fun walking around Orkney and enjoying the fresh air – thankfully the weather was kind.

“There’s also a more serious side to this too though, and it is so important to raise awareness of charities such as the Little Princess Trust, especially at the moment when so many have struggled to raise funds due to the pandemic. Things like this also help to make children aware of the difficulties being faced by other families.”

Sarah will now no longer have to spend ages drying her locks after playing underwater hockey – the initial reason behind the desire to cut her hair.

The Little Princess Trust reached a major milestone in 2020 – having provided 10,000 wigs to young people who have lost their own hair due to cancer treatment and other conditions such as alopecia.

The wigs help to restore the confidence and identity of the young recipients at what can be a very tough time in their lives.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “When a child loses their hair to cancer or another condition, we'll be there with a free, real hair wig to help restore their confidence and identity. We won't stop until the research that we fund ends childhood cancer forever. Please visit us at Little Princesses website to find out how you can help us give young people back what cancer takes away. The Trust relies solely on the efforts of enthusiastic community fundraisers. We receive no formal funding. Please help to raise money for us so that we can help more families.”

Chair of the Council’s Education, Leisure and Housing Committee, Councillor Gwenda Shearer said: “What an amazing effort by one of our superstar students. Sarah and her siblings should be very proud of themselves. A tremendous total raised and there’s still time to donate to help the family reach the amount required for four wigs to be made.

“It really is heartwarming to hear of the extra mile that so many of our young school children are willing to go for others.”