A WICKFORD business owner will be celebrating her wig shop’s first birthday by inviting people to have their hair chopped for charity.

Carla Watson, 31, of Wickford, who owns Watson Wigs in Wickford’s Market Lane, will be holding a fundraiser in aid of two charities – The Little Princess Trust, which provides real hair wigs for children and young people who have been through cancer or other medical conditions, and The Brain Tumour Charity, which aims to improve understanding, diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours to improve outcomes for everyone affected.

The event will take place on October 7, from 10am to pm, with a fully qualified hairdresser on hand to cut the participants’ hair. Carla will also be donating seven inches of her own hair.

Carla, who is also a sponsor of The Brain Tumour charity, said: “Since opening in 2017, I have had the privilege to meet and hear stories from people of all walks of life about their own medical conditions and stories of their loved ones.

“With my shop’s first birthday coming up, I thought it would be a nice way to celebrate in this way instead of giving your usual 20 per cent off.

“There’s already a handful of women who have volunteered to donate their hair, which has to be a minimum of seven inches. The more hair the better – it is just as important as cash donations.

“As for me, I am quite nervous to have my hair cut short, as it hasn’t been short for years, but as it’s for such a good cause I am more than happy to do it.”

Carla decided to open the wig shop after having worked in an office in London for ten years. She had a daughter in 2016 and decided she wanted to be closer to home and more settled.

The wig shop owner’s event will also see local businesses attend to provide nail painting, sweets, cupcakes and a raffle to boost the total monies raised. All money raised will be split 50/50 between both charities.

Carla is also collecting via a GoFundMe page as well as on the day.

To donate online, visit gofundme.com/watsonwigs