IT will be a hair-raising experience for a 12-year-old girl tomorrow when she shaves her head to raise money for Chinese orphans.

Susannah Grumball, of Ardens Grafton, near Alcester, is raising the money after she visited Tianjin, north-eastern China with her family two years ago.

Susannah and her family visited an orphanage for handicapped children who have been abandoned by their parents.

While at the orphanage, the family brought Rui Rui, a severely ill two-year-old girl, back to England.

Rui Rui needed immediate heart surgery and after Susannah's dad Kevin had written to a number of surgeons, Sir Magdi Yacoub offered his help to perform the surgery.

The operation was a great success and Rui Rui has been living with the family for the past two years.

The family is in the process of adopting Rui Rui and now Susannah wants to raise more money for the children left behind at the orphanage.

She has already raised £300 and will be shaving all her hair off at Stratford hairdressers Flyntz tomorrow.

But if she raises £500 or more, the Alcester Grammar School student has said she would even have a picture painted on her head.

Anyone who wants to sponsor Susannah can visit her website www.hackhair.com where visitors can pledge sponsorship.