A HEREFORDSHIRE charity helping youngsters with cancer is celebrating after reaching its £130,000 fundraising target in little over a year.

The Little Princess Trust, which provides real-hair wigs for youngsters suffering hair loss through cancer treatment and alopecia, hopes the money will help cut waiting times for wigs significantly.

Last summer the Hereford Times chose to back the campaign set up by the trust, which is run by volunteers and deals with up to 30 cases from around the UK each month.

The charity was established by Burghill residents Wendy and Simon Tarplee following the death of their five-year-old daughter Hannah in 2005.

Both parents remain committed to the charity and are overwhelmed at the public’s response to the campaign.

“We are absolutely thrilled and cannot believe such a big target has been met in such a short space of time,”

said Wendy.

“It means we can help lots of children in the near future and hopefully cut waiting times.”

Charity chairman Tim Lowe also spoke this week of his delight at raising such a large amount.

“The warmth of Herefordians comes across again and again in their support of the Little Princess Trust,” he said.

“We would also like to thank the Hereford Times for the support given during the past year.”

The wigs, which used to take around eight weeks to reach children but could now take half that time, are ethically made in China using real hair partly supplied by the charity.

A host of fund-raising parties has been held across the county for the trust.

Sainsbury’s in Hereford chose the trust as its charity of the year and donated around £11,000 while the city’s Marks & Spencer store is also collecting.

Councillor Sylvia Daniels nominated it as one of her mayoral charities and most recently the annual Pink Car Rally, which sees a procession of ‘souped-up’ pink vehicles travel the country, raised at least £6,000 during a journey from Hereford to Oxford.

One of the hundreds who have benefited from the trust is the Barrington family of Hereford.

“It’s great news they have reached their target,” said Heidi Barrington, whose daughter Samantha, now 12, was provided with a wig as she went through the effects of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2007, from which she is now in remission.

“They did a great deal for her and it’s wonderful they have raised so much.”