A Macclesfield schoolboy has chopped off his long locks for charity.

Nine-year-old Alfie Hodgkinson, a year five pupil at Parkroyal Community School, organised a sponsored haircut to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.

He was inspired to do so after seeing his sister, Martha, undergo a lifesaving liver transplant earlier this year.

Alfie's mum Lisa, a 45-year-old administrator at Parkroyal Pre-School, said: "In April this year, following a difficult battle with a rare liver disease, our 11-year-old daughter Martha underwent a liver transplant operation at Birmingham Children's Hospital. This meant a lengthy stay in hospital, two hours away from home.

"It was a challenging time for the whole family, but being offered a room at the Ronald McDonald House Birmingham next to the hospital meant Alfie and his younger brother Harry could visit Martha, have a space to play, and maintain a level of normality, allowing us to be together as a family."

Alfie with siblings Martha and Harry (Credit: RMHC)

Ronald McDonald House Charities UK is an independent charity which operates 14 Houses across England, Wales, and Scotland, providing free 'home away from home' accommodation.

This helps to keep families together while their children are in hospital, providing a place to sleep, cook and retain a sense of normal life.

Martha Hodgkinson, who is in year six at Parkroyal, has been back and forth to Birmingham Children's Hospital for the past few years, having become sick when she was just six-years-old.

The family initially visited the Ronald McDonald House on a 'Day Pass', a programme allowing parents, carers and siblings to use House facilities such as the communal laundries and kitchens, even if they aren't staying overnight.

Lisa said: "For the past three years or so, Martha's had regular hospital appointments in Birmingham and over time, they've become more frequent, as her disease has progressed. Having the House to retreat to, was a Godsend, but it really came into its own at Easter, when we received a call to say a donor had been found, and Martha was admitted for her transplant just three months after being added to the waiting list."

While Lisa slept on a chair next to Martha's hospital bed, her husband Shaun stayed just a stone's throw away, at the Ronald McDonald House.

Lisa said: "The House made our traumatic hospital stay more manageable.

"It meant I had somewhere comfortable and homely to escape to, away from the clinical environment of the ward.

"When she was well enough, Martha came over to the House in her wheelchair and we treasured the time we spent together as a family; enjoying a takeaway and 'Britain's Got Talent' in the Cinema Room was a particular highlight! It was a space to relax, which kept us sane."

Martha has been in and out of hospital over the past few years (Credit: RMHC)

Alfie has smashed his £250 target by more than 300 per cent, with his total now sitting at £840.

He has also donated the 10 inches of hair he cut off to the Little Princess Trust, which provides free real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. 

Natasha Swindell, Community Fundraiser at Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, said: "We are so proud of Alfie, as I know his parents are too, for setting himself this challenge and exceeding his fundraising goal by quite some way!

"It was our huge privilege to accommodate and support the Hodgkinson family during Martha's surgery and recovery, easing some of the emotional and financial burden they were facing.

"We're so pleased to hear she's recovering well. Alfie's determination to give something back is truly inspiring and will no doubt spur on others to consider raising money and awareness for our vital cause."

To donate via Alfie's fundraiser, please visit www.justgiving.com/page/lisa-hodgkinson-4.

Alfie before and after his charity hairuct (Credit: RMHC)