Just turned seven-year-old Ebony Hastwell made the decision to cut the long hair she has been growing her whole life to raise money for children with cancer.

Up until last Thursday, Ebony had never had a haircut, apart from occasionally having her ends trimmed.

Her grandmother’s terminal cancer diagnosis prompted the Year 1 student to fundraise for the Parkes Branch of Can Assist and cut her long locks into a short bob.

“I want to do it because there are kids that have cancer and my nan has cancer in her bones,” she said.

“And I want to do it for Can Assist because they have been really good to my nan.”

Ebony’s fellow students at Parkes Public School donated a gold coin to her cause and counted down from 10 as her 21-inch plait got the chop.

The hair will be made into a wig for a cancer patient.

Jacinta Knowles from Janice Cassidy's Hair Salon had the honour of cutting Ebony’s hair and styling it into a much easier to manage bob. 

Ebony is very grateful to the following Parkes businesses who have supported her in raising $490 - Souters, Parkes Brick Paver and Tile Supplies, Wops Glass, Railway Bowling Club and the Table of Knowledge Patrons, Hutcheon and Pearce and Parkes Sight and Sound.

A further $227.75 was raised from the gold coin donations of Parkes Public students.

If you would like to contribute to Ebony’s fundraising efforts, you can call her mum, Tara, on 0487 260 989.