A kind-hearted schoolgirl proved head and shoulders above the rest after having her beloved ponytail cut off for charity,

Ten-year-old Alice bravely sacrificed 42 centimetres of beautiful hair and managed to raise nearly £600 for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).

It smashed her initial target of £100 and, to add to her good deed, the East Bergholt Primary School pupil donated her locks to the Little Princess Trust.

Mum Lorna Richards said: “We’re incredibly proud of her.

“The idea first came from something we saw on Facebook.

“A couple of days later, Alice came up to me and said 'Mummy, do you think I could do something like that?’

“She’s always had long hair and loved it, but was determined to do something special to help other children.

“She was thrilled to raise so much – the amount spiralled and spiralled – and she also loves her new look, so it was a great thing to do.”

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: The brave AliceThe brave Alice

Alice recently celebrated a birthday and was nine when she had her ponytail cut at Hair at Number 10, in Manningtree.

She lives near East Bergholt with Lorna, dad Daniel and brothers Henry, eight, and Louis, four.

Alice’s fundraising page is still open. Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/lorna-richards3.