An assistant care home manager was back at the hairdressers for the first time in 14-years as part of her ambition to fund a greenhouse for her clients.

The last time Ami Leigh Barrington-Hunt went to a salon she was 11, and her mum shouted at a hairdresser and made her cry for cutting her lengthy locks too short.

Traumatised by the experience, the 25-year-old had not been back to a crimper until last Wednesday when she had her hair dyed from her normal blonde to purple – the colour of her employers Avante Care and Support – at The Salon in Sheerness High Street.

Sponsorship raised by the feat is approaching the £500 needed to buy a greenhouse for the residents at Barton Court in New Road, Minster, where Ami works.

She said: “I was quite nervous going in. People who know me know that it’s a big deal for me, so it did encourage them to donate.”

She plans to keep her new colour until it starts to fade and added: “All I need is a witch’s hat and I’m prepared for Halloween.”

Barton Court holds a Hands Together Cafe on the first Wednesday of every month for people with dementia and their families to get together.