Hair growing bet turns to fundraising for Gainsborough man

Chris Lee, 33, decided to see how long he could go without cutting his hair after a passing comment at a friend’s wedding led to them making a bet.

Around ten months later it was suggested that Chris should donate his hair to The Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and other conditions.

Chris said: “After some research I soon realised how incredible the work they do is but I was also shocked to find out that they are not government funded at all and that they rely on fundraisers and donations.

“That was all it took to convince me that it was a worthy cause and the right thing to do, so I read into the requirements for hair donation and set myself a goal.”

Chris set himself a target of £550 and continued to grow his hair for three years, reaching 16 inches in length.

And on August 24, it was time for Chris to say goodbye to his long locks and he contacted his barber, Ken Kami of Kens Kuts Gainsborough, to do the honours.

Chris said: “Three years have now gone by and not a single pair or scissors touched my hair in that time.

“We live streamed the cut via Facebook and I believe roughly 30 people watched it live with a couple of hundred watching the video at a later time.

"Now that it's been cut it feels very strange, I sometimes find myself getting up in the morning and going to tie my hair back on to realise its not there anymore.

"My head is also much colder than before.

"I'm so grateful to everyone for their support and donations towards such a wonderful cause.

"Especially my girlfriend Bernadette, who for the last three years has had to put up with me stealing her brushes and bobbles."

You can still make a donation by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/christopherslee11 and for more information about The Little Princess Trust visit www.littleprincesses.org.uk.