An inspirational Ewell woman who has shaved her head for charity after being diagnosed with cancer for the second time, has tripled her £1,000 fundraising target with a brave shave.

Sophie Watford, who had been cancer free for eight years before being diagnosed with stage three lung cancer in June, decided to 'make the best out of a rubbish situation' and shaved off her long brown locks to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

She donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that makes wigs for ill children.

Miss Watford, 26, of High Street, Ewell, set herself a target of raising £1,000 for the BHF but having smashed that in 24 hours, set the bar higher.

The total currently stands at more than £3,354 and the amount raised has put her in the running to win a relaxing weekend at Horwood House when her treatment is over.

To celebrate raising so much money, Miss Watford has published her autobiography Never Forgotten. Originally meant just as a gift for her mother, the book has now sold nearly 20 copies.

Miss Watford was born with a rare form of the human papilloma virus, which caused polyps (abnormal tissue growths) to grow around her voice box and throat.

These blocked her airways and caused her to have a tracheotomy, as well as regular trips to Great Ormond Street Hospital for laser treatment.

At the age of 18, Miss Watford was told that a drug she had been trialling was successful, and she was able to remove her tracheotomy and live a "normal life" with her partner, Jamie Robinson.

Unfortunately, this year, after experiencing shortness of breath, coughing and a hoarse voice, doctors confirmed that she had stage three lung cancer. As the tumour is wrapped around her food pipe, it cannot be removed.

Miss Watford said: "It has come as a massive shock, as I’m sure you can imagine, to a 26 year old who is very ambitious and still has lots of plans.

"It’s not forever. I just stay strong and think about my plans to hopefully travel next year with my partner, and that gets me through it."

She is currently having chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, and although she will have to wait until November to know how successful they are, recent scans suggest the cancer has reduced slightly.

Miss Watford said: "I believe there is always someone worse off out there, and believe positivity is what gets you through things.

"Everyone’s support is what gets me through each day."

Her autobiography is available to buy on the Amazon.co.uk website. For more information, or to make a donation, visit her JustGiving page on https://www.justgiving.com/Sophie-Watford1