A woman with hair Down syndrome from a fairy tale shaved off her long locks to become the world record holder for the longest hair donation.
Ruth Tripp donated 67 inches of her hair to The Little Princess Trust, a charity that creates real-hair wigs for children who have cancer and various other conditions.
Ms. Tripp, 38, said it was time to cut her hair when it reached floor length.
The mother of four said that her children called her hair “princess hair” which led her to make a donation to charity.
Unlike many people who donate to the Little Princess Trust, Ms. Tripp, an accountant from Devon, decided to shave her own head in order to make the most of her donation.
She has been given the Guinness World Record for the largest single donation of hair made by a woman.
At the same time, Southampton resident Jack Drever donated 35 inches (89cm) of his hair to the charity, greatly surpassing all others to date.
The 37-year-old builder had his hair down to his waist until he chose to donate to a charity.
Wendy Tarplee-Morris, one of the founders of The Little Princess Trust, said: “We always encourage our supporters to grow out their hair as long as they can because it really helps us meet the demand for our popular longer wigs.”
“Ruth and Jack have truly shown their enthusiasm for this cause, and we are all thankful for their help in making it possible for us to provide genuine, free-of-charge wigs for kids and young adults.”
She said her hair would take a couple of hours to dry every time she washed it.
She said if she unwinds her ponytail while out, kids would say ‘Look at that mommy’s pretty hair!’ and ask for hair like hers,
That’s exactly what children want, so I knew I should entrust it to someone else.
I thought it would be better to give it away, so someone could actually use it and get the most out of it.
Mr. Drever was prompted by a colleague to raise over $2,300 before shaving his head.
The charity states that each wig they create costs approximately $950, so they are grateful for both cash donations and hair contributions.
Adam Millward, the managing editor at Guinness World Records, stated: “While setting any record necessitates a certain level of dedication and passion to some degree, some achievements demand even more.”
In the instance of the largest single donation of hair, arguably the most important characteristics involved are selflessness and generosity.
It’s evident from being a firsthand witness to the shearing of Jack’s impressive hair that he and Ruth both possess these excellent qualities in abundance.
It’s an honor for GWR to recognize these courageous and charitable individuals and to advance the exceptional efforts of The Little Princess Trust.
