A WOMAN who shaved her head in memory of her seven-month-old nephew has been left "astounded" after raising thousands of pounds for three amazing charities. 

Claire Nugent waved goodbye to her lengthy locks to raise awareness and money for spinal muscular atrophy - a genetic muscle wasting disease that can be fatal to babies. 

With a little help from her 12-year-old daughter and staff at Boss Hair Studio in Barrow, Mrs Nugent faced the chop in memory of her baby nephew Finlay who died in September last year. 

Mrs Nugent said: "It's amazingly important because it's genetic. The family is going through lots of tests at the moment to see how far it goes and if my children could have it. 

"If we can do anything to help, it's worth it."

So far Mrs Nugent has raised £3,500 for SMA Support UK, The Princess Trust and the Children's Hospice Association Scotland - who cared for Finlay before he died. 

The 40-year-old mother of two said her children were just about getting used to her new style, even if she wasn't. 

She said: "I'm glad I did it because it's raised so much awareness about SMA.

"It's amazing how kind, generous and supportive everyone has been and raising awareness of the condition is so important as well."