Ref. 31137-15TEENAGE tomboy Sarah Lewis is Swindon's own Cinderella.

The 16-year-old from Park South loves nothing better than climbing trees and kicking a ball around with pals on a muddy playing field.

But tomorrow she will be the belle of the ball when she dons a dress for the first time in 10 years to help raise money for cancer sufferers.

Sarah, a pupil at Dorcan Technology College, has raised more than £100 for Cancer Research UK by pledging to shed her laddish look for her school prom.

The inspiration behind the stunt came from seeing the plight of her brave mum Pat, who was diagnosed with lung cancer last year.

The determined youngster, who sat her last GCSE exam on Tuesday, said: "Cancer is a horrible thing to have to live with. And it's hard for families to deal with too.

"It's been really stressful over the past few weeks, especially when I've had exams to revise for.

"My little brother, Dean, who is 11, has also found it hard.

"I just hope that the money I raise can help to find a cure for the different types of cancer."

In place of her normal gear, which usually consists of tracksuit bottoms, trainers and football shirt, Sarah, who hopes to enter the male-dominated profession of firefighting, will wear a beautiful evening gown.

She is also planning to have a new hairstyle especially for the occasion and reckons a few of her friends are in for a surprise.

Sarah said: "I hate wearing girly clothes.

"Since I was little I have always preferred to be one of the boys and most of my mates are lads. I just like doing boisterous stuff."

Mrs Lewis, who celebrated her 58th birthday yesterday, said that seeing her daughter dressed-up would be the icing on her cake.

She said: "I can't wait to see her in the dress on Friday night. This will be the first time that she has worn a dress in a decade.

"The last time was when I dressed her in a beautiful dress for a wedding.

"Later I discovered that she had a pair of jeans and trainers on underneath that's Sarah.

"She has always loved behaving more like a boy than a girl, preferring to climb trees than do girly stuff."

Sarah's sister-in-law, Karen Hart, 30, agreed. And she said a small donation would be money well spent.

"It all started when someone said that they would be happy to pay just to see Sarah get rid of the tomboy clothes for something more feminine," she said.

"Sarah thought it was a great idea and started collecting the sponsorship money.

"I am sure it will be worthwhile."

And to ensure the ball gets off to a rolling start, Sarah and her pals will be chauffeured to the school in a stretched limousine.