BUDE’s Lizzie Hobbs has raised nearly £2,000 following her charity haircut at The Venue in Bude on Wednesday, February 20.

Lizzie has had to deal with the death of two friends in recent years and wanted to do something a bit different and raise funds for charities close to her heart.

She said: “It’s been a traumatic period losing Chloe Martyn through a brain tumour, she was a good friend and I looked out for her. And then losing Emily-Jacob Whelan only a year after, due to suicide, I just wanted to do a gesture of good will.”

Lizzie is splitting the funds between Cancer Research UK and YoungMinds while her hair is going to The Little Princess Trust who provide real hair wigs free of charge for children and young people who suffer from hair loss.

Explaining her reasoning, she said: “I’ve known people on a wide spectrum suffer from different types of cancer and Cancer Research UK just seemed the right charity to support, rather than one type of cancer.

“YoungMinds is a charity which works with young people with mental health problems and it also just seemed the right charity to work with. I know first hand the support that they give to young people, having lost a friend.

“I also know a lot of children who have suffered hair loss due to cancer and bullying is quite prevalent when they go back to school. So to give the sacrifice of my hair so they could feel normal was a no brainer!”

Lizzie started campaigning back in the autumn and the impact has been remarkable.

She added: “It’s been amazing, I held a concert last October (19) at St Martin’s Church in Bude, which means I’ve been fundraising for a few months. In the beginning I was aiming to raise £100 and within two months I had raised £1,000 and now I’m just cusping £2,000!

“It’s blown me away and it’s through the support of local businesses who have given me raffle prizes!”

The haircut itself, which started at midday, was a massive success, and Lizzie wants to thank everyone for their generosity.

She said: “We had about 120 people in there and there was a countdown from ten. But it was nice to share the moment and let people come along. They’ve followed my journey from the beginning, so it’s nice to let it come to its end.

“I’d like to say thank you to my friends and family who have supported me, it’s been an emotional journey and they’ve been fantastic.

“I’d also like to thank the incredible businesses of Bude and finally to anyone who has donated.”

If you would like to donate, Lizzie’s Go Fund Me page is open till the end of March.