A cerebral palsy sufferer’s dream of being able to play football is one step closer thanks to two sisters now sporting much shorter hairstyles.

Malachi Reid’s friend Scarlett Hewitt had a life-changing operation last year for surgery to alleviate her cerebral palsy thanks to the efforts of fundraisers who donated £65,000 within three months.

And now Malachi is raising money so he can have the same operation at the St Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri, which will reduce the spasticity in his legs and enable him to walk unaided.

This will mean he will be able to play football in the playground with his friends instead of being the referee in a wheelchair.

To help him out nine-year-old Scarlett and her sister Sienna were sponsored to have 10 to 12 inches of their hair chopped off.

After raising £185 more than their £1,000 target, they had the chop last week and all the money will be given to Malachi to help with the 10-year-old’s £80,000 fundraising goal.

The chopped off hair is going to be donated to the Little Princess Trust charity, to make wigs for children who have lost their hair because of cancer.

Scarlett and Sienna’s dad John, of Uvedale Crescent, New Addington, said: “They love their new haircuts and are getting a lot of compliments about them and just feel that it is nice to give something back to someone else.

“A lot of people that had supported Scarlett as well thought it was a great cause.

“At first we spoke about the target and did not know what figure to put and we could not believe it when we reached £1,000.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/malachisonlywish to donate to Malachi’s appeal.