A BARNT Green teenager has shaved off her long dark locks for a charity fundraiser in memory of her grandfather.

Katie Simpkin volunteers as a paddock marshal with Hagley and District Light Car Club (HDLCC) that holds events in Shropshire.

At the last meeting the 15-year-old sat down in the paddock during a break, with hairdresser and club committee member Geoff Robinson chopping off her plait in one go.

In front of a large crowd that had gathered he then proceeded to shave her head completely.

The South Bromsgrove High School student, who has just finished her GCSE exams, decided to do the head shave in memory of her late grandfather Tony Fisher.

Tony, who was also from Barnt Green, was an English Rally Champion and died from cancer in 2009.

Katie's grandmother, Pat Fisher, is a long-standing servant of the HDLCC and currently looks after the volunteer team of marshals.

Pat said: "We all still miss Tony so very much but I am sure that he would have been very proud indeed of this young lady and her fundraising idea for such a worthy cause.”

Katie’s mother Jayne Fisher added: “Katie was very close to her grandfather, having always been involved with the club and it was totally her own decision to take this brave step at a meeting to raise money for the hospice that treated him so well in his final days.”

Katie's head shave raised £1,000 for the Primrose Hospice, the charity which supports people in Bromsgrove and Redditch who are facing an end of life situation, and also their families.

HDLCC secretary Martyn Silcox added: “This was a wonderful gesture from young Katie and the club were delighted that so much money was raised in memory of Tony Fisher who we all knew and respected so much.”