GIRLY girls dream of having a headful of luscious long hair - but one generous little Wilmslow lady has sacrificed her own lengthy locks for charity.

It was a case of hair today, gone tomorrow for 12-year-old Alycia Darling, of Winchester Close, who had her waist-long mane chopped off for children who have lost their hair through illness.

The darling will send her liberated ponytail to US-based charity "Locks of Love", to be made into a wig for a sick child.

After reading about the hair charity on the internet, Alycia decided to go for the chop herself - and it was a hair-raising decision for the girl who has been growing her hair since she was six.

The Wilmslow High School pupil, who lives with mum Sara, brother Ethan and grandmother Barbara Smith, said: "I’ve been growing my hair since I was little and it felt strange to have it all cut off.

"I’ve never had my hair cut properly, only trimmed, and I’ve always loved my long hair. But it was for a good cause."

Alycia went for the ruthless trim at Wilmslow Green Hair Studio and took the foot-long ponytail home to be bagged up and wing its way to the States.

The hair is longer than the ten inches needed by Locks of Love to make a hairpiece for a child in the United States or Canada suffering with long-term hair loss from a condition such as alopecia and cancer.

Alycia, whose last charity event was a sponsored silence for Comic Relief, added: "I saw on a Disney forum on the internet that a girl had her hair cut off for the charity and I had thought my long hair could be used too.

"My hair will go to someone who has applied to the charity but I’m not sure exactly where it will end up."

Proud mum Sara took Alycia for the brave chopping.

She said: "It was Alycia’s idea to get her hair cut off, it was something she really wanted to do.

"She just went for it and I’m so proud."

Alycia is now getting used to her new shoulder-length do.

She added: "It does feel very different but I like it.

"I’m so glad I did it."

Visit www.locksoflove.org for more information on the hair charity.