Milestone comes exactly 20 years after our charity was founded

The Little Princess Trust has reached the milestone of helping 20,000 children with hair loss exactly 20 years after the charity was officially founded.

Governing documents including a declaration of trust were signed on November 12, 2005, to formally register the name of The Little Princess Trust.

The paperwork stated that the objective of the new charity was to “provide hair pieces for children who have suffered hair loss due to cancer treatment”.

In our first full year, a total of 36 wigs were provided to children and young people. Thanks to the incredible support received from so many people who donate their long locks and fundraise for us, we are now helping more people up to the age of 24 than ever before.

We now receive more than 2,000 enquiries each year while successful partnerships have been established overseas to help children with hair loss in countries such as Portugal, Sweden, Bulgaria and Slovenia.

The continual growth and reach of the charity, combined with the generous support from so many both in the UK and abroad, has seen The Little Princess Trust help its 20,000th young person with hair loss this week.

Nell Dougherty is one of the many people to have received a wig from The Little Princess Trust.

She said: “At first, having a wig really helped me feel like myself again, allowing me to go out without feeling the heavy weight of stares or awkward questions.

“Soon, they became much more, evolving into tools of self-expression. Something I’ve really loved about my wigs is their versatility - I’ve had a lot of fun styling them, experimenting with curls, waves, fringes, layers, headbands, and scarves.

“My wigs have allowed me to feel like I have options in my appearance, and that I could once again participate in fashion and beauty the way I did before.” 

The Little Princess Trust was set up in memory of Hannah Tarplee who had been diagnosed with a Wilms Tumour and had found the loss of her hair especially traumatic.

Her parents Simon and Wendy had struggled to find a wig suitable for her during treatment and felt the most fitting tribute to the five-year-old would be a charity dedicated to providing wigs for children who had lost their own hair.

Twenty years on and 20,000 children and young people have been helped in this way. Our headquarters in Hereford is named the Hannah Tarplee Building as a permanent reminder of Hannah’s legacy.