THE MUM of a young handicapped girl has found that fund-raising can be a hair-raising experience.

Mandy Palmer, of Livingstone Close, Old Hall, decided she would go to any length to send her daughter, Keeley, back to a dolphin therapy centre in Florida - so she shaved off all her hair!

Eleven-year-old Keeley visited the centre in Miami last year. The trip was a dream come true for Mandy, as she heard her daughter say 'I love mummy' for the first time.

Keeley was brain damaged after she picked up a bug when she was born. This caused cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

The Florida centre offers intensive speech therapy and physiotherapy to mentally and physically handicapped children. If youngsters respond well, they are rewarded by the dolphins performing a trick and they eventually have the chance to swim with the intelligent mammals.

Mandy held the sponsored head shave at LA Bowl and raised £600 in sponsorship and donations.

"There were about 40 people watching," she said, "and it was so funny to watch their mouths fall open and their eyes go wide as my hair came off.

"My head's very cold now, but I've bought a new hat!"

Mandy is now planning car boot sales and a parachute jump, as well as selling videos donated by Asda Westbrook, to reach her target of £6,000.

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