A NATIONAL sales manager at a Steeton company had a hair-erasing experience ­– and raised more than £8,000 for charity.

Caren Larkman-Ayre waved goodbye to her shoulder-length locks in support of Marie Curie.

She had aimed to coin-in £7,500 for the cause.

But donations through her online Just Giving page, at justgiving.com/fundraising/caren-larkman-ayre, have reached £8,300 – and continue to rise!

"The total is just amazing," says Caren, who works at Acorn Stairlifts.

"I want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who has made a donation."

Caren was cheered on by colleagues as she underwent the cut, which was performed by her hairdresser Kelly Weston.

Kelly put the hair into plaits, before snipping them off and then using clippers for the rest.

The plaits are being sent to the Little Princess Trust, which provides free real-hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.

Caren said had become increasingly nervous as the day of the cut approached, but was "pleasantly surprised" with the result.

Acorn Stairlifts has a long-standing national charity partnership with Marie Curie, donating up to 60 free stairlifts a year so patients can be cared for in their own homes.

Like most charities, Marie Curie has seen its fundraising badly hit by the impact of the pandemic.

Caren added: "Having seen first-hand the work that Marie Curie nurses and staff do to care not only for the patients but their families too, I couldn’t think of a charity I’d like to support more."

For further information about Marie Curie and its work, visit mariecurie.org.uk.

More details about the Little Princess Trust can be found at littleprincesses.org.uk.