Teenager Tegan Hughes acquired the most severe hairstyle of her life on Tuesday while hundreds of pupils at Malmesbury School cheered her on.

It took ten minutes for hairdresser Amanda Phillips to shave off Tegan’s 18-inch locks on the school hall stage.

The 18-year-old of Stanton St Quintin made the sacrifice for charity in memory of her aunt Dorothy Evison, who died of cancer 13 years ago.

Tegan said: “For me this was very personal. I’ve always wanted do something to raise money for a cancer charity because of what happened to nana.

“I’ve been thinking about a sponsored head shave for some time – this was as good a time as any.”

Tegan – known to her friends by her middle name Bekka – asked if she could have her head shorn in front of the school so she could collect more donations in a bucket.

The hall was packed for the lunch-time spectacle.

She said: “I was quite nervous earlier in the day but when it was time for the head shave I was more interested to see what I would look like.

”Everyone clapped while my hair was coming off – it was all very positive.

“I was a bit shocked when saw it in the mirror. After looking at it a couple of times it wasn’t so bad. I’d been dying my hair blonde for a while but I’m dark again.”

She raised around £200 for Cancer Research UK and her hair will go to the Little Princess Trust, which provides wigs for children who have lost their hair after contracting cancer.

Her brothers Jacob, 14, and Samuel, nine, both sponsored Tegan with their pocket money.

Her mother Susanne Hughes said: “It’s a bit of a shock to see her like this, but it’s still the same old Tegan.

“She told me a couple of weeks ago that she was going to do this. I’m very proud of her and I know her nana would have been, too.”

After adding cash from the collection bucket to her sponsorship money Tegan has so far raised £287. Her target is £500 and people can donate at www.justgiving.com/Tegan-Bekka-Hughes/