A mother hopes to prove you do not need hair to be feminine when she shaves her locks in aid of the hospital that cared for her baby son.

Jodie Carins, of Pinewood Drive, Potters Bar, is going for the chop to raise money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.

Her son, Oliver, now seven months, had an operation to remove a build-up of tissue in his belly button last month, but has since made a full recovery.

After seeing how the hospital helps children with serious illnesses, Jodie decided to do a dramatic charity challenge to help the doctors and nurses.

The 23-year-old said: “The operation went well but it was terrifying and traumatic. When they put him to sleep I was holding him and he went limp. I burst out crying and I was in floods of tears.

“While we were there we kept running into very poorly children and it made me think of how lucky we are that he was just in for a small, simple operation.

“For some families it’s not that simple – your heart goes out to them. There and then I realised I had to do something extreme. Anyone can do a sponsored run or a walk, I wanted to be different.”

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Ms Carins decided to have her shoulder length brown hair shaved off at the end of June.

The finance administrator set herself a target of raising £1,000 but she hopes to smash that goal and raise around £2,000.

She added: “My hair is my comfort blanket – I won’t even wear it in a ponytail because I love it so much, which is why I decided to sacrifice something that means a lot to me.

“I am very nervous but it will all be worthwhile.”