TWO young girls have donated their hair to a charity that makes wigs for children who are ill or are having medical treatments, and they are also collecting money for Woking Hospice in memory of their great-grandfather.

Kaya Cole, 9, and her sister Anya, 5, made the decision after being unable to say goodbye to their great-grandad Reg Doye when they were stranded in Egypt, where they live with their parents, Jenny and Sam.

The couple both work at the Modern English School, Cairo, and in early March, Jenny flew back to Britain to give birth.

The next day the Egyptian authorities announced the closure of the airports and Sam and their daughters had to get emergency repatriation flights.

Meanwhile, Sam’s grandfather Reg, who lived in Chertsey, died on his 91st birthday and none of his family were able to visit him.

Jenny gave birth to Joshua on 22 April and neither the girls nor their father were able to visit the hospital.

The Coles were eventually reunited at the home they keep in Britain for holidays and other visits.

“Kaya read about little girls who had been bullied because they had lost their hair and this struck a chord with her,” Jenny said.

“She said she didn’t want any little girl getting bullied and said ‘they can have my hair’.”

Jenny said Kaya and Anya missed seeing Reg in his final days and were very grateful for the wonderful care given to him by the hospice.

They created a charity collection page and set a target of £500. This has been exceeded and now stands at £1,200.

Jenny said that Reg, who left a widow, Joan, would have been very proud of what the girls are doing.

“He was a humble man who was incredibly proud of his family and where he came from.”

The Coles are due to fly back to Cairo later this month and will have to self-quarantine.

Bobbie Alsworth, the hospice community fundraiser, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to both Kaya and Anya for being so brave with their big hair cut.

“It really does mean the world to all of us at the hospice to know we have the incredible support of our local community. You have already raised such a fantastic amount and we cannot thank you enough.”

To donate to the fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kayaanya.