Fiona donates hair and raises £4,000

Fiona McGeady and her friend Jackie Feeney held a hugely sucessful fundraiser for the Little Princess Trust and Foyle Search and Resuce on Friday night in Entrada, raising a total of £4,000.

Fiona came up with the idea of donating her hair to charity after two family members were diagnosed with cancer. “One has gone through chemotherapy, so I saw first hand the horror of losing hair. It was in the back of my mind for a few months, thinking I’ll get this hair chopped off and what can I do with it,” she said.

After some research, Fiona learned about the work of the Little Princess Trust, which was launched in 2006 by the parents of Hannah Tarplee, who was diagnosed with having a Wilms tumour and died in 2005.

“I thought I’ll persevere with the hair for a couple of months and get it into good condition, and when I get it cut I’ll donate it to the Little Princess Trust,” said Fiona. The event was originally planned to be a tea party, but after getting together with a few friends, Fiona said it “spiraled” from there.

“My friend Jackie Feeney always wanted to do something to raise money for Foyle Search and Rescue as she had lost two family members, but she needed someone to give her that extra push.

“It happened in the space of three weeks because our friend was due to go into hospital for her operation around that time, but it was brought forward.

“She missed the event and is in hospital at the moment. Between us we just went at it hammer and tongs with the help of our families, and somehow it all came together on that night,” she said.

Over 100 people attended the event in Entrada, and the ladies raised £4,000, with £1,000 going to the Little Princess Trust along with the hair, and £3,000 to Foyle Search and Rescue.