The Little Princess Trust

What The Little Princess Trust does

The Little Princess Trust is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1176160) founded in 2005 in Hereford in memory of Hannah Tarplee, who lost her hair during treatment for a Wilms tumour. Its core service is the provision of free real-hair wigs — at an all-in cost of approximately £700 per wig including making, fitting and styling — to children and young people aged up to 24 who have lost hair due to cancer treatment or other medical conditions. Service delivery is human-mediated through a coordinator-led wig referral team and a network of accredited specialist wig fitters across the UK and Ireland, with international salon links in Sweden, Bulgaria, Portugal and Germany; the Hairdressing Hairoes programme extends the network by sourcing hair donations through partner salons.

Since 2016 the organisation has run a second core programme: childhood cancer research funding, delivered in partnership with CCLG (The Children and Young People's Cancer Association), which administers grants and supports project selection under AMRC-aligned processes. Cumulative research commitments exceed £36 million across 158 projects spanning leukaemia, brain/CNS, neuroblastoma, kidney, lymphoma, bone, sarcoma, liver and other childhood cancers, with an emerging Research Knowledge Bank of Wilms Tumour patient-outcome data.

The revenue model is entirely donation-funded. The charity generates no commercial product revenue; income derives from individual donations, corporate partnerships, community fundraising events (e.g., Funky Hair Funday, running events), merchandise sales through an online shop, and the in-kind contribution of hair donations. Marketing and distribution span a website (littleprincesses.org.uk), email, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok), events, salon partners and direct wig-request intake. Operations are run by a small team (11–50 staff range, named team under 15) from a single headquarters in Hereford. Governance is by a Board of Trustees advised by a Research Funding Sub-Committee. The MBE for voluntary groups, awarded by Queen Elizabeth, is the principal external credential. A June 2026 Chief Executive transition is the most recent material organisational event.

Name

The Little Princess Trust

Legal name

The Little Princess Trust

Website

https://littleprincesses.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Little Princess Trust is a UK-registered charity providing free real-hair wigs to children and young people aged up to 24 who have lost hair through cancer treatment or other conditions, and funding childhood cancer research (£36M+ across 158 projects since 2016), operating from Hereford through a small staff team, accredited wig fitter network and community-led donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Health Services

NAICS

Personal Care Services (8121), Child and Youth Services (62411)

akta.pro primary industry

Wig Styling, Customization & Maintenance (HSALAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Kids' Haircut Services (HSALAAAM)

Keywords

• Charitable wig provision
• Childhood cancer research funding
• Hair donation services
• Free wigs for children
• Nonprofit health support

Headquarters

HQ city

Hereford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The charity relies entirely on donations from supporters, including financial contributions and hair donations. Revenue comes from individual donors, corporate supporters, event participants, and fundraising activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Little Princess Trust is a UK charity that provides free real-hair wigs to children and young people aged up to 24 who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or other conditions, and funds pioneering childhood cancer research. It accepts donated hair from supporters and partners with a network of accredited wig fitters across the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Portugal, and Germany. Since 2016, it has committed over £36 million across 158 research projects, administered in partnership with CCLG.

Product overview

The Little Princess Trust operates as a dual-mission charity offering two core services: (1) a free real hair wig provision service for children and young people aged up to 24 who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or other conditions, delivered through a network of accredited wig fitters across the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Portugal, and Germany; and (2) a childhood cancer research funding programme that has committed over £36 million across 158 research projects since 2016, administered in partnership with CCLG. Supporting these core services are hair donation collection, an online merchandise shop, fundraising platforms, and a hairdressing salon network (Hairdressing Hairoes). The organization does not offer a technology platform, API, or software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Real Hair Wig Provision Service Provides free real hair wigs to children and young people aged up to 24 who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or other conditions. Delivered via a network of accredited wig fitters across the UK and Ireland, with additional salon links in Sweden, Bulgaria, Portugal, and Germany.
• Childhood Cancer Research Funding Funds pioneering research into finding kinder and more effective treatments for all childhood cancers. Over £36 million committed across 158 research projects since 2016, in partnership with CCLG to identify and fund the highest quality projects.
• Hair Donation Service Accepts long hair donations from supporters which are used to create real hair wigs for children. Provides guidance on hair length requirements and the best ways to cut and send hair donations.
• Online Merchandise Shop Online retail store selling charity-branded merchandise, with proceeds supporting the charity's wig provision and cancer research funding activities.
• Hairdressing Hairoes Programme Network of partnered hairdressing salons offering free haircuts to supporters who donate hair, supporting the hair donation supply chain for wig production.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 20,000 children and young people helped with free wig service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Little Princess Trust works in partnership with CCLG to find the most suitable research projects and administer their research strategy. CCLG offers LPT expertise and advice in selecting and funding the highest quality research, and administers grant awards. This partnership ensures every funded project is of the highest quality and has potential to improve outcomes for children.
• AMRC (Association of Medical Research Charities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Little Princess Trust endorses all AMRC regulations, including their position statements on supporting research in universities and supporting the use of animals in research. Their research grant process follows AMRC guidance.
• International Salon PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLinks established with salons in Sweden, Bulgaria, Portugal and Germany to provide the free wig provision service internationally.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK cancer charity providing practical, emotional, and financial support, including wig-related services. Larger incumbent with overlapping service categories but serving all cancer patients, not specifically children.
• Cancer Research UK: Largest UK cancer research funder with broad portfolio. Comparable in research-funding activity but operates across all cancer types and ages rather than specialising in childhood cancers like LPT.

Direct peers

• Teenage Cancer Trust: UK charity focused on cancer care for teenagers and young adults. Comparable age-band targeting (up to 24) and overlap with LPT's young-adult beneficiary segment served through wig provision.
• Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent): UK charity supporting children and young people with cancer, including financial grants and emotional support. Directly comparable target demographic (under-25s with cancer) and overlap in beneficiary services.
• mynewhair: UK charity providing wig services and training for people experiencing medical hair loss. Comparable wig provision service line and salon-based delivery model, though broader age demographic.
• Wigs for Kids: US-based non-profit providing free wigs to children experiencing hair loss due to medical conditions. Closely comparable mission, beneficiary demographic, and free wig provision model to LPT.
• Children with Cancer UK: UK charity funding childhood cancer research and supporting affected families. Closely comparable dual-mission model (research + family support) overlapping with LPT's research funding and wig provision for children with cancer.

Emerging players

• Solving Kids' Cancer: UK charity funding childhood cancer research and supporting affected families. Comparable small-charity scale and dual research/support model but smaller operational footprint than LPT.
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity supporting seriously ill children and their families including those with cancer. Comparable beneficiary demographic and family support mission but broader palliative care focus.
• Childhood Eye Cancer Trust: UK charity supporting children with retinoblastoma and their families. Comparable target demographic (children with cancer) and support services model but narrower disease focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LPTrustUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/officiallittleprincesstrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/officiallittleprincesstrust
• TikToktiktok.com/@littleprincesstrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/littleprincesstrust

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Little Princess Trust