The kindest cut: Taupō schoolboy Noah donating locks for cancer

Taupō schoolboy Noah Martin, 11, has been growing his hair for three years to be donated to make wigs for children with cancer. Photo / Victoria Munton

Hair today, gone next week. Noah Martin, 11, is ready to say goodbye to his long, flowing locks.

The Year Six Hilltop School student has been growing his hair for three years to be made into wigs for children with cancer.

"Specifically to donate it to kids that don't feel as sociable because they've got cancer and they're bald because of the treatment, and they feel very bad," Noah explains.

His mother Victoria Munton says Noah was insistent that he was going to grow his hair to his waist to help youngsters with cancer and now was the right time to get it cut.

The hair-cutting ceremony will be performed next week. His hair will be banded together into several ponytails all over his head and then carefully collected and sent to Wigs 4 Kids, which will spend 60 hours making it into a wig for a child who has lost their hair because of chemotherapy.

Noah has also been collecting funds for the Child Cancer Foundation via his fundraising page at childcancer-fundraising.org.nz/noah-martin and would love people to donate.

He originally aimed to raise $250 but smashed that goal in under four hours, so he doubled it to $500, which he met the next day, thanks to a list of generous sponsors. He was nervous about raising the bar, but doubled the goal again and is now sitting on $1200, including some from his peers at school.

Noah Martin's hair started off at chin length in 2018 and is now almost to his waist. Photo / Victoria Munton

"The support has been brilliant," Victoria says. "People have been so great and he's had money come from the United Kingdom and Ireland as well."

Noah says he came up with the idea of growing his hair for wigs after reading a book titled 101 Ways to Change the World, which mentioned the idea. At the time, his hair was already chin length.

He is looking forward to losing his waist-length locks, although they haven't taken much effort to look after.

"You have to comb it once a day to keep the knots out and tie it back for PE and things like that.

"And it's been pretty useful for when I'm doing tests because when I look down it hides all my answers, so I have this little curtain of privacy."

Noah's locks will be shed in the kitchen at home with Victoria doing the honours and following the strict guidelines laid down for collecting wig hair. As for his new look, Noah says he'd like something that's "longish on one side and shortish on the other".