Autistic Jared Mitchell has gone almost two years without a haircut but now he is ready to shed his long locks to raise funds for Daisy Chain.
The 9-year-old from Darlington finds the sensory process of a haircut hard to bear but he is braving the barber to give something back to the support charity he and his sister Jasmine, 11, love attending.
Jared will also be donating his hair to the Little Princess Trust which provides real hair wigs free of charge to children and young adults who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments or other illnesses.
The family has been attending Daisy Chain’s Saturday activity days since September 2017 when Jasmine was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jared also has ADHD.
Mum Jane said: “Jared is highly sensitive and he hates his hair to be touched. He hates having his hair cut but he has decided he wants to do it to raise funds for Daisy Chain and he has waited until it is the 30cm in length needed to donate it to the Little Princess Trust before he gets it cut off.
“Both Jared and Jasmine love spending time at Daisy Chain and it’s great for me too because it’s a rare chance to relax and have a coffee knowing they are safe and enjoying themselves.
“We are all very proud of him taking this on because Jared is so sensitive to touch, but Daisy Chain is an amazing resource and he is really keen to help out by raising funds.”