I've shorn everyone that I'm a real hair-o

But nine-year-old Karys McNeill opted for much more than a short chop after having 12 inches snipped off her long locks in the name of charity.

The plucky youngster, who lives in Craigmillar, will donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that makes wigs for children who have suffered hair loss as a result of cancer and alopecia.

She has also raised more than 1000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.

The Castleview Primary pupil, who could previously sit on her dark brown hair, said: "I wanted to get it cut and didn't want to see it go to waste."

The big chop took place at Shapes hairdressers in Portobello yesterday, as the primary five pupil had her first proper haircut.

Mum Mandy, 43, who cut her daughter's hair before the hairdresser styled it into a shoulder-length bob, said: "Karys has been wanting to get her hair cut for quite a while now, but I said I would be upset to see it swept away on a hairdresser's floor and to think of all the children who have lost their hair. Karys said 'they can have mine'.

"On a Saturday there's a programme on called Sing If You Can that's for Teenage Cancer Trust and it shows little clips of kids without hair. I'm exceptionally proud of her."

Karys, who had previously only had a few inches cut from her hair, added: "I like my short hair better."

Carolyn Thornton, fundraising manager for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Scotland, will thank Karys at a school assembly next month.

She said: "To not only donate the money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but to give her hair to the Little Princess Trust, is incredible for someone so young."

Mrs McNeill, a mother-of-two who works part-time in customer services for Standard Life, said Karys had a few last-minute doubts but quickly changed her mind.

Wendy Tarplee-Morris, co-founder and trustee of the Little Princess Trust, said: "It's great because it creates awareness for the charity and the hair that's donated is used to make wigs for children who are quite often around the same age as Karys."