A 10-year-old Aberdour boy who wasn’t allowed to grow his hair while living in Dubai has donated 12 inches of his “lovely locks” to the Little Princess Trust after growing it out during the pandemic.
Logan Reid, who moved back to Fife with his family when Covid struck, has also raised over £1,250 for MS Society, Brain Tumour Research and Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
When the world went into lockdown in March 2020, the P6 pupil saw an opportunity to make the most of a bad situation.
No longer required to keep his hair short as per school protocol in Dubai – Logan, now a pupil at Aberdour Primary, decided to grow it out for charity.
Two-and-a-half years on, on Tuesday he paid a long-awaited visit to the salon, alongside his mum Marie Reid, 43, and younger sister Elyssa, nine.
Although Logan says it has been difficult at times – particularly the “middle” stage when his hair was “long enough to get in my face but too short to tie up in a ponytail” – the experience has allowed him to explore his individuality and challenge outdated gender stereotypes.
‘People assume I’m a girl’
Logan said: “New people often assume I’m a girl because of my hair.
“When I politely explain I’m actually a boy with long hair, I hope I am teaching them about equality.”
Marie, who is a maternity care assistant at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, says Logan has shown “strength and determination” while growing his hair.
Not only is he often mistaken for a girl, but he has received “negative comments” from people telling him he should get his hair cut.
She said: “He has shown real determination not to be upset about it.
“He has learned to see it as an opportunity to teach them something, that maybe they are making assumptions – they’re just generalising – that he’s a girl because he’s got long hair.”
But Logan receives plenty of compliments on his long blonde hair too.
He said: “When they find out that I’m growing it for charity, they think it’s really cool and a great thing to do.
“Some people have said that they wish they could have my hair because of the colour and thickness.”
Logan and his family have been “totally blown away” by the response to his crowdfunding campaign, which was launched on June 20.
He has managed to more than double his original fundraising target of £500, with £1,262 raised at the time of writing.
Marie said: “People have been so generous.
“It has just been amazing, especially in the current circumstances – you know, not everybody has much money to spare.
“Logan keeps checking the amount and his little face is just like ‘wow’.
“When he got to over £1,000 he was jumping about like crazy because he is absolutely overwhelmed with it. He thinks it’s brilliant.”
Lockdown locks in pictures
As well as donating his hair and raising money for The Little Princess Trust – a charity which provides real hair wigs to children who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and other conditions – Logan is supporting three other causes which are “very special” to him.
He was inspired to support Brain Tumour Research after his close friend Olive’s mum died suddenly from an undiagnosed brain tumour in February.
Marie recounts how he reacted when she broke the news: “He immediately was like, ‘Oh, poor Olive. She hasn’t got a mum anymore’.
“It made him think quite a lot.”
And it’s because of Logan’s close relationship with Marie’s best friend –Â ‘Aunty Sam’ – that he has chosen to raise money for the MS Society.
Sam was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 36 after an MRI scan following a car crash identified “something abnormal”.
Now 42, her symptoms have progressively worsened.
Logan said he hopes his donation will help the charity to find a cure for the condition.
Finally, he chose to support Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal after learning about the crisis at school.
Logan said: “I want to help the people of Ukraine fight against their enemies and bring peace back.
“I think the people of the Ukraine are very brave and should be respected for what they are going through.”
Conversation