A WORCESTER woman had her hair cut and dyed into a purple Mohawk today in memory of her mother

Alexandra Vernon, of Wadborough, near Pershore, lost her mother Barbara Vernon to non-hodgkin lymphoma in June and has raised £312 for charity by taking on the wacky style.

She chose to go purple to match the branding of the Lymphoma Association, the cause she has fundraised for.

Miss Vernon said: “It has been an emotional thing for me to do.

“When my mum’s hair started to fall out after cancer treatment I shaved her head, so getting my head shaved had a real personal meaning.

“I have had such great support from friends and family during this difficult time it has been humbling and I have raised more money than I expected.

“People’s generosity has been absolutely fantastic.”

The His and Hers salon in Broad Street, Worcester, carried out the unique cut and style for free as a gesture of support for the charity fundraiser and Miss Vernon said the company had been “very kind” to her.

She added she was “still getting used” to the new look, which was turning a few heads in the street, but she was proud of the story behind it.

The money raised from the challenge has been donated to the Lymphoma Association, a national charity which “gives people coping with a lymphatic cancer diagnosis the right information and support when they need it most”.

Miss Vernon hopes her donations will help other lymphoma sufferers be diagnosed earlier, which would give them a far better chance of survival.

“If my mother’s cancer had been spotted earlier things could have been very different”, she added.

To donate to the 31-year-old’s challenge visit justgiving.com/alexandra-vernon