A YOUNG footballer from York is preparing to wave goodbye to his hair for charity after a friendly bet.

Jarrad Benson, 15, who goes to Canon Lee School, had not scored for his team, York Schoolboys, in five years, and joked he would have his distinctive hair shaved off if he managed to find the back of the net.

Matt Brown, Jarrad's coach for York Schoolboys, said: "He's never missed a game, shows all the attributes of commitment, loyalty, representing his city and everything you'd want, but within football team you have the banter that he hadn't scored a goal.

"He's proud of his hair and said he would cut it if he scored, than of course, it happened. Funnily it happened against Hull, where Tom Huddleston did the same thing, when he scored, he went to the side and cut his hair. I've asked if it would be possible for him to say a few words, but we'll see."

Lisa Benson, Jarrad's mum, said the fundraising was for a good cause, in memory of her mother, who was a fit and healthy non-smoker but died of a lung disease last month.

Lisa said: "We always said we would like to do it for charity and my mum Edna passed away from Pulmonary Fibrosis in March so we wanted to do it for the British Lung Foundation.

"He's really proud to be doing it I think, so it's even more poignant he's doing it at a time when he's just lost his grandma. It's like his trademark really, it's the first thing on his school report - 'Jarrad handles the attention he gets from his hair well'. He will look so different because he's looked like that for so long! I'm so proud of him."

Jarrad will have his hair cut on May 9 at the team's presentation evening, but donations can still be made to support the British Lung Foundation at justgiving.com/JAZZAFRO