Support is a close shave

A 10-year-old schoolgirl has shaved her head to raise money for a breast cancer charity, to show her support for her mum who is battling the disease.

Primary school student Charnelle Pickup and family friends Rebecca Thomson and Sarah Burgess were cheered on by more than 40 supporters when they went under the clippers at Woolworths Rockingham on Saturday.

The trio raised more than $1300 which will be added to $67,000 already raised, thanks to a variety of fundraising ventures.

Tanya Pickup said she was very proud of her daughter and thanked her family, friends and the community for their support.

“Charnelle is just brilliant,” she said. “I am so proud of her, now she is bald and proud just like her mum.

“I’ve just been totally gobsmacked by the support. It’s been absolutely amazing.”

Ms Pickup discovered that she had breast cancer late last year and has been receiving chemotherapy, followed by daily radiation treatment.

Tanya’s mother, Esther Thomson, said her daughter had been mostly keeping her spirits up.

“Tanya has had to have chemo every three weeks,” she said. “Three of them have been very heavy and it takes her a while to feel better.

“But she has a strong spirit and has been out and about doing things and raising money.”

Doctors have given Tanya the go-ahead for a family holiday to Bali, which was booked 10 months ago before she found out about the cancer.

Family friend Rebecca Koller, who organised the shave, said the main aim of the fundraising was to raise awareness.

“Tanya has her good days and her bad days but she has got a huge support network around her and Charnelle is a shining star,” she said.

Ms Koller said Woolworths Rockingham, where Tanya has worked for the past four years, had been “amazing”.

“As soon as they found out what we were doing they jumped on board to help,” she said.