Video: Telford's Karen loses locks for charity

Karen Mann, from Telford Road, Wellington, has also raised £2,000 for the charity which provided her with crucial support following the stillbirth of her son 10 years ago.

Karen, who is sister at Ironbridge Medical Practice, said she was still adapting to life without her ponytail following the shave at the Red Lion pub in Holyhead Road on Wednesday night.

A total of £735 was collected for the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (Sands) charity from well-wishers on the night. This will be added to £1,197 donated through her page on the Just Giving website.

On top of that, she said there had been a number of other cash pledges which would take the total past £2,000.

"It's just amazing, I have doubled my target," she said. "The people were lined up to take it in turns to cut a bit off but they were all afraid to do the deed.

"In the end, I plaited it up, and people were each challenged to cut off a single plait."

The hair will be donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides real hair wigs for youngsters who have lost their natural hair through treatment for cancer.

Karen, who is mother to Sophia, 14, Sadie, 12, and Lydia, eight, said she and husband Jason decided to try for another child in 2004. However, a 20-week scan revealed that her unborn son was suffering from abnormalities which led to him suffering from epilepsy.

"The prognosis was very poor, so we made the heartbreaking decision to end the pregnancy," she said.

She named her son Elliott James, and said the weeks following his stillbirth in April 2005 were extremely traumatic.

"I couldn't look at the vicar who visited after our son was stillborn, beaten by the guilt and shame of what I had done, until she told me she had made the same choice."

Karen said Sands was a huge support in the weeks that followed her pregnancy.

"They did everything, they dealt with all the administration afterwards, and they sorted out the funeral," she added.