A BRIGHT young dance student is re-enacting one of her favourite Disney films as she gets her long locks cut in aid of two different charities.

Six-year-old Tilly Hill is having her Rapunzel moment at Lainesmead Primary School in Swindon to raise money for Brighter Futures and Swindon Carers Centre. She’ll say goodbye to her hair in front of friends and parents at the school fete on June 25 while accepting donations for causes close to her heart.

Tilly found out about the Brighter Futures charity through the Estelle School of Dance, where she practices three times a week. The youngster will star in three dance numbers for the school’s production of The Slipper and the Rose which is also raising money for the charity.

Tilly’s mum Kelly, a charity worker from Old Walcot, said: “She’s been wanting to donate her hair for absolutely ages. I said if you do it we could raise lots of money and she said, ‘yeah, yeah, yeah, I want to.’ She’s really excited. She keeps saying, ‘is it now, is it tomorrow’ and it’s on the 6th of July so every time there’s a six in the date she says, ‘is it today?’ And I’m like, ‘no Tilly!’

“I don’t think the full impact of how short her hair is going to be has hit her. She said, ‘yeah I’m going to be like Rapunzel when she gets her hair cut off at the end.’ She’s really looking forward to it to be fair.”

Tilly helps to look after her disabled brother at home and wanted to give something back to the Swindon Carers Centre, which has helped her family with guidance and support.

Although their family has not been directly affected by cancer, Tilly and Kelly were keen to help patients in the town to access vital services at Great Western Hospital. Kelly said, “We decided it would be a really good charity to raise money for because there’s no radiotherapy unit close by us really.

“A lot of families have to go a long way to receive treatment, so that’s obviously not good for families at that time in their lives and need that support. It’s something in our community everyone would use and it would make people’s lives so much easier.”

Dancer Tilly has already raised £110 ahead of the haircut and will dress up as a bird, a mouse and a soldier when she performs a variety of routines in the charity production of The Slipper and the Rose. She hopes to reach her £500 target on the big day. Tilly will also give her hair to the Little Princess Trust, which provides wigs made of real hair to children undergoing chemotherapy and other types of treatment.

The money she makes will help Brighter Futures to bring forward the day our town receives its own high-tech radiotherapy unit, which will save patients time and money while reducing the burden of travel.

The budding young fundraiser told the Adver that tap was her favourite dance to perform. When asked why she wanted to help the charities, she said: “I want to be nice.”

To support Tilly in her nice gesture, visit: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=KellyHill12&pageUrl=1