BATTLING cancer can be a frightening experience at any age – but perhaps most so for a child.

Amongst a sea of hospital visits and medical treatments, youngsters can have to deal with the traumatic experience of losing their hair through chemotherapy.

Luckily, charities such as the Little Princess Trust are able to help.

The national charity donates real-hair wigs free of charge to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other illnesses.

To keep running, they rely not just on financial donations but on hair donations from members of the public – receiving around 2,300 each month.

Each real-hair wig – of which the Little Princess Trust has provided more than 3,000 since its inception in 2006 – costs between £350 and £500 to make.

For Katie Booth, her first proper hair cut was a nerve-wracking experience.

The Little Lever 11-year-old had already decided she wanted a new look for when she starts at Little Lever High School this September before she found out about the Little Princess Trust.

Before she went under the scissors at Bobbles in Farnworth earlier this month, the generous youngster had only ever had her hip-length hair trimmed every few years.

As well as donating 12 inches of hair to the charity, Katie has raised more than £500 in sponsorship.

Katie’s grandmother Sheila Edmunds, who also lives in Little Lever, said: “It was her first proper haircut and she was very nervous on the day, but she knew it was for a good cause.

“Katie was already going to have her hair cut before going to high school because it would make it easier to manage, but her sister told her about the Little Princess Trust.

“It meant a lot to her and was an amazing thing to do at that age, I was really proud.

“Her long hair used to hurt when she brushed it and took so long to wash – it was long enough that she could sit on it.

“Now if is more manageable and she can wash and brush it herself.”

The Hereford-based charity has provided more than 3,000 wigs since its inception in 2006 and said these have an incredibly positive impact on poorly children and their families.

Little Princess Trust receives requests for wigs for children every single day of the week, through paediatric oncology centres or direct from families.

Wendy Tarplee-Morris and Simon Tarplee founded the charity in memory of their daughter Hannah, who died in 2005 after being diagnosed with a Wilms tumour.

At that time, finding high-quality real-hair wigs for children was very difficult.

Mrs Tarplee-Morris said: “We never could have dreamed that we would one day have funded such a tremendous amount of wigs, and helped so many children.

“I feel extremely proud and humbled by the huge amount of support we have received in order to achieve this.”

Mr Tarplee said: “I remember the first wig we gave away like it was yesterday, and back then I would never in my wildest dreams have believed the charity could grow to what it is today.”