A KIND-hearted teen who is registered blind has donated her lustrous 13-inch long hair to help youngsters who have lost their hair to cancer treatment.

Erin Boyce, aged 16, from Avonhead Close, Horwich, has been growing her hair since she was a toddler. When she decided to have it cut she wanted "to do it for a purpose" and went along to Masquerade Hair and Beauty Salon in Scholes Bank in Horwich where they offered to cut it free.

Here, stylist Carla Stott took just an hour to create an up-to-the minute bob for Erin's dark hair, lopping off her long plaits which Erin's mum, Mrs Jane Boyce, has now sent to the Little Princess Trust. This is a national charity which provides real hair wigs for girls and boys across the UK who have lost their hair.

Erin, who is a pupil at the Royal Hereford College for the Blind where she is taking her A levels, suffers from the eye condition Retinitis Pigmentosa - an inherited genetic condition which severely limits her sight and means she could go blind at any time. "Erin is a unique young lady," said her mum. "She asked me if she could do this with her hair when I collected her at half-term so it was all her idea. I am very proud of her."

Erin is now back at college, where her new hairstyle is causing quite a stir. "I like it," she stated. "But I do feel a bit chilly on the back of my neck now!"