A FUNDRAISING police community support officer is set to lose 15 inches of her long blonde locks in aid of a Hartlepool schoolgirl suffering with a rare condition.
Selfless PCSO Helen Barron, 29, who works for the South and Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, will get the chop at Inspiration Hair Salon, in the town’s Park Road, next Tuesday.
The locks will then be donated to the Little Princess Trust and used to make real-hair wigs for children who have lost their own hair to cancer treatment.
Brave PCSO Barron, who has worked in Hartlepool for the last eight years, agreed to the chop in support of 16-year-old Georgia Hart, who suffers with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a progressive disease which affects just one in every 50,000 people.
It attacks the central nervous system, causing co-ordination and balance problems, painful curvature of the spine and severe fatigue.
PCSO Barron’s colleagues, Sergeant Dave Halliday, PC Kieth Robinson and PC Lorene Haworth, are all set for a three-day fundraising drive to all 43 police force custody suites in the country where they will stage a mock arrest of a mystery teacher from High Tunstall College of Science, where Georgia studies.
The fundraiser, named Jailed 4 Georgia, was organised to help Georgia reach £30,000, the amount needed to send her to the USA for clinical trials.
PCSO Barron said: “People keep asking me why I would want to cut my hair, but it’s only hair and it’s for two excellent causes.
“I first learned about the Little Princess Trust when I saw that a girl had donated her long hair to the charity and I felt strongly that I wanted to do the same.
“I’m used to having different styles of hair but I am nervous to see it cut short again after so long.
“I have had a great deal of support though and I’m sure my husband will like it.
“I’m hoping people sponsor me as I want to raise as much money as possible for the Jailed 4 Georgia fund.”
Anyone wanting to sponsor Helen can drop into the York Road Community Office at 173 York Road, Hartlepool or call Ashleigh Morrell at the Community Safety Office on 01429 855560 or email ashleigh.morrell@hartlepool.gov.uk.