TO BE told you are suffering from an illness as potentially serious as cancer or leukaemia can be shattering.

The anxiety associated with the news can often be made worse by worries over the side-effects of treatment.

So imagine how terrifying diagnosis must be for a child, especially when one such side-effect – hair loss – begins to take hold.

This week, the Hereford Times launches a campaign supporting a Herefordshire charity working tirelessly to ease the trauma suffered by boys and girls experiencing hair loss as a result of treatment for cancer and other illnesses.

The Little Princess Trust was launched following the death of five-year-old Hereford Cathedral Junior School pupil Hannah Tarplee from cancer in 2005.

Since then, the fledgling charity has grown with specialist suppliers and experienced hairdressers on board to supply and fully fund the best real-hair wigs and hair pieces available for children. It has helped nearly 250 children.

It is held together by three Hereford-based trustees – Hannah’s mother Wendy Tarplee; Tracey Prosser, who helps run Peter Prosser Hairdressing in the city; and former Cathedral Junior School headteacher Tim Lowe.

And now they need your help.

Employing no paid staff, the charity operates from a tiny office in Castle Street, Hereford.

To continue helping a growing list of youngsters from across the UK, it needs £130,000 over the next two years. The main problem it faces is time. The best quality wigs can take up to eight weeks to make because of the intricate handmade detail, such as the exact replica of the child’s hair colour and texture. They are custom-made, mainly in the United States or China.

But the charity wants to cut this waiting time down to a week by creating a store able to meet a request almost immediately.

Each wig costs about £250, for which the trust pays. It even accepts hair donations, which are sent to China via hair specialists in Birmingham.

In the past year, celebrities have endorsed their work with television presenter Gail Porter, herself a victim of hair loss having suffered with alopecia, and Worcester Warriors rugby star Chris Latham lending support.

“I am delighted the Hereford Times has decided to support the Little Princess Trust and launch this campaign. It’s a wonderful charity that is helping many children at a time of distress,” said Ms Porter.

Over the coming months the Hereford Times will continue to update you on the charity’s fund-raising progress and what you can do to help.

In the meantime, to contact the charity phone 0845 094 4509 or to donate just follow the links on littleprincesses.org.uk.

Anyone planning any fund-raising activities for the trust can let us know what they are doing by calling 01432 845884.