Two Keswick School teenagers have braved the shave to raise more than £3,300 for charity.
Isabel Green of Portinscale and Pippa Steele of Troutbeck, both aged 14, shaved their heads to raise money for Cancer Research UK while also donating their hair to the Little Princess Trust which makes wigs for children who have lost their own through cancer treatment.
At an event at Keswick Rugby Club, an emotional crowd gathered to watch the plucky pair chop their mops.
As their hair was plaited beforehand there was trepidation in the air, but as soon as the first snip took place the whole club erupted into cheers.
Pippa has wanted to do something like this for a few years and found Isabel who is “just as crazy”, to do it with her.
Pippa said: “Seeing ourselves in the mirror is really funny, and we love laughing about it with all our friends who have been incredibly supportive.”
Isabel added: “It feels very different to have such short hair. Drying it after the shower is so fast. We’re very, very pleased to have done it and we have no regrets.”
The Year 9 duo have both been playing at Keswick Rugby Club since they were five or six years old and are now well settled into the under-15 team coached by Stephanie Ratcliffe.
“I think they’re quite inspirational,” said Stephanie. “As a coach I’m there to teach and guide the team but a lot of the time it’s the girls that end up inspiring me. We are all so proud of them at the club.”
This is not their first foray into fundraising. Previously they held a breakfast morning at Pippa’s family’s campsite, selling sausage rolls, croissants and hot drinks.