Who is the Little Princess Trust?

The Little Princess Trust’s story begins in 2004 when five-year-old Hannah Tarplee was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour. Her treatments led to her hair falling out, greatly upsetting her. Desperate to give their daughter some much-needed confidence, her parents Wendy and Simon searched everywhere to find a wig suitable for Hannah. They knew that while getting the right treatment was the most important thing, she needed a piece of herself back that she had lost. Once Wendy and Simon found a wig that was a perfect fit, it ended up having a hugely positive impact throughout Hannah’s many treatments.

Hannah sadly wasn’t able to beat her tumour and passed away one year later. In the time that followed, Wendy and Simon began thinking of a way they could pay tribute to their daughter. One that would provide a service to other children and young people up to the age of 24 experiencing hair loss. With this is mind, they launched a charity that would give others that same confidence Hannah had felt when she wore her wig through her treatments: the Little Princess Trust.

What do the Little Princess Trust do?

The Little Princess Trust’s daily work comprises of two separate areas of work:

Wig provision

The Little Princess Trust has grown to become the world’s largest wig provision charity, offering both natural and colours. Creating over 11,000 real hair wigs across the UK and Ireland free of charge to children and young people up to the age of 24 since its launch, they’ve made this achievement possible thanks to donations and working with experienced wig makers across the film and TV industry. Having recently moved their production in-house due to COVID-19, a large number of their wigs are now created in the UK, with the aim to increase that number over the next few years.

Funding research

With so much research devoted to providing cancer treatments in adults, the Little Princess Trust instead focuses on researching cancer treatment for children. Funding over £5 million towards this groundbreaking cause, and taking part in clinical trials, what they are committed to is providing kinder and better treatments that affect the outcome.

What is the Little Princess Trust’s goal?

In their endeavours to raise awareness on childhood cancer and provide wigs, the Little Princess Trust always have one goal in mind: to be there for every child and young person. Never turning anyone away in need of help, they aim to break down the barriers of societally sensitive topics when discussing hair loss and childhood cancer. These range from creating wigs for girls and boys to funding research projects, and taking part in clinical trials for less invasive cancer treatments such as Immunotherapy.

On 31 August 2021, the Little Princess Trust opened their brand new headquarters in the heart of Hereford: The Hannah Tarplee Building. Opening on the same day as its namesake’s 21st birthday, this permanent memorial is also home to a new Sally‘s Salon.

This salon doesn’t just offer children and young people the relaxing experience of getting their wig fitted and styled in a professional hairdressers, it also creates a safe space for those anxious over other people watching them. Allowing full privacy thanks to frosted mirrors or the option for parents to wait outside, this salon also features a designated area where the charity can create more wigs, which has allowed production to skyrocket. However, with more wigs being created, they need more donations.

The Little Princess Trust has been the Salon Services main charity partner since 2013 and, with the help of our staff and our customers, we’ve managed to raise more than £300,000. Every pound raised, or piece of hair donated, makes a difference to the lives of young children… and this is where your business comes in.

How can I donate hair?

The Little Princess Trust is always on the lookout for hair donations in order to make their wigs, and they really appreciate any awareness and help that your salon or freelance business can provide. If you have a colleague or client whose hair meets the requirements mentioned above, and are looking to get a dramatic chop, you can suggest they donate it to the Little Princess Trust. If they accept, all you have to do is follow the step-by-step guide below:

1) Wash your client’s hair with shampoo (don’t use conditioner or styling products) and tie into a ponytail.
2) Secure the ponytail at both ends with a hair band, and one halfway down. Ask a colleague to cut above the top band while holding the hair secure.
3) Place the cut hair inside a cardboard or heavyweight paper envelope.
4) Post your envelope to the following address:

The Little Princess Trust
The Hannah Tarplee Building
22-25 Berrington Street
Hereford
HR4 0BJ

For more information on donating hair to the Little Princess Trust, you can read their dedicated page here

How else can my salon or freelance business support the Little Princess Trust?

Any way your business can raise funds for the Little Princess Trust really counts. Going beyond donating hair, some of the fun and creative ways your team and clients can contribute include:

• Organising bake sales
• Getting a sponsored haircut
• Online donations
• Choosing the Little Princess Trust as your charity of the year
• Buying wristbands and hairbands at your local Salon Services, because all profits going to the Little Princess Trust

If you have experience in fitting wigs, the Little Princess Trust also has a fantastic salon network that comprises more than one hundred salon and mobile wigmakers that you can join. If you’re interested in taking part, you can get more information here.