WHEN you need publicity to highlight an important charity, what better way than letting the millions of listeners to the Chris Evans Breakfast Show know all about it.

Last month, eight-year-old Maddison Drew, from Bentley, sparkled onto Radio Two to tell the DJ she was about to have eight inches of her long, blonde, curly hair cut off.

Not only to raise money for CLIC Sargent, who help children’s cancer charities, but also to donate her locks to the Little Princess Trust. The Trust makes wigs for children suffering from cancer who have lost their hair due to treatment.

Maddison discovered that £570 would pay for a week’s services of a CLIC Sargent play specialist to help a child prepare for their cancer treatment. The charity was formed in 2005 after a successful merger between Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood (CLIC) and Sargent Cancer Care for Children.

So far, Maddison has raised £1,400 – enough to pay for the services of two specialists who do such an excellent job helping a child to understand why they will be having treatment for their cancer, not always pleasant, and why it causes them to lose their hair.

This is why the Little Princess Trust wigs are so valuable to help child cancer sufferers face the world and go back and take their place in the classroom and mix in with their friends.

With such long, beautiful hair, Maddison admitted she felt a little nervous when it came to having it cut, especially as it was infront of all 207 pupils at Bentley Primary School where she is a pupil. Her brother, Ted, is also at the school.

Maddison was accompanied by her mum, Natalie, and family friend Becky Beevor, a professional hairdresser, did the haircut which, when the last lock had been collected, was greeted by loud applause from pupils and staff.

Natalie, who works in the school office, said how proud she was of her daughter and the money she had raised.

Maddison returned to the Chris Evans Show on Tuesday to tell him how well the haircut had gone and when she told him she had raised £1,400 he gave her a special victory recorded “Hey” and told her she was wonderful.

Cryptically, when asked – he puts the question to all youngsters on his show who have achieved a new goal – how she would score the haircut out of 10, Maddison said “25 out of 10!”

Maddison would still welcome donations. To support her, visit mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/thebigchopformaddison.