A man has spent five years growing his hair to donate it to a charity which makes wigs for children who have lost their hair through cancer.

Michael Lawson, 40, from Brighton, has been growing his hair so that it can be made into a wig by Little Princess Trust.

He said: “It’s something I always wanted to do. For a long time, Little Princess didn’t accept afro hair because it can be hard to manage.

“Over Covid my hair was getting long and during that time they mentioned they would be accepting afro and curly hair – it seemed like the perfect opportunity.”

Keeping his hair in top condition has been very time consuming.

Michael said: “Wash day is a full day. I get my hair braided once a month and that’s a four-hour session. Then there’s undoing the braids and conditioning it – you wouldn’t believe how many bottles of conditioner I’ve gone through.”

Michael has grown his hair to more than 22 inchesMichael has grown his hair to more than 22 inches (Image: Supplied) Michael, who works as an onboard supervisor at Southern Rail, raised £800 within an hour and has now raised well over £1,000 on JustGiving. The trust needs £700 to make the wig, so Michael’s fundraising will leave plenty over to go towards childhood cancer research.

Michael's hair reached 22 inches. He said: “Hopefully it will help a child.”