TWO Hampshire school friends are staging a fundraiser to help benefit people with cancer.

Anya Cantrell and May Smith, who are both pupils at Mountbatten School in Romsey, have both lost relatives to cancer.

Now they are planning to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support by getting their long hair cut off at Hair Review in West Wellow on October 30 so it can be turned in to wigs.

Explaining why she and her friend are raising the money Anya said: “My dad Matthew died on October 30 2002 from oesophageal cancer, he was 34 and it is very rare for someone as young to get this cancer.”

Her granddad Gerry Simmons also died from cancer and an uncle of May's was also a victim of the disease.

Anya who was three months old when her dad died added: “We are going to send off our hair to the Little Princess Trust to be made into wigs for children who have no hair due to cancer treatment. I did this three years' ago and raised £360 for the Little Princess Trust and have been growing my hair since so I can do this again. ”

This time the two 12-year-olds are raise the cash for a different charity. They have already had more than £600 in pledges.

“We decided to raise money for Macmillan Cancer support because cancer hurts so many people, not only the person who has cancer but those around them and Macmillan helps everyone,” added Anya who has taken part in various fundraisers including the Race for Life and the Moonwalk in London.