Local Wig Bank Celebrates 10 Years And Appeals For More Wigs!

This year the local Wig Bank celebrates ten years of its highly valued service in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire and appeals to people to donate more wigs please!

Previous appeals featured in the Hull Daily Mail have been very successful so we hope the public will be able to help us once again. There must be lots of wigs waiting to be released from a cupboard or drawer, just waiting for a new lease of life to help another person on their journey.

The service in this area was set up in 2007 by local charity HER Breast Friends in response to concerns expressed about the cost of obtaining a wig and how important it was to feel you were in a supportive and caring environment for choosing the right style and colour, at what can be a very sensitive and vulnerable time.

These days our clients choose to come to us for many reasons, not just cost, including the quality of service offered, and the choice of wigs, accessories and care products available.

For those on low incomes however the Wig Bank provides an essential service, with wigs available for £10 each including some care products to help clients look after it.

The Wig Bank here in Hull and East Yorkshire was originally run from the home of one of the Charity’s volunteers but as demand grew more volunteers were recruited to help. 

The service went through a couple of transformations as it continued to grow, and in 2011 it opened its doors at its first fixed venue within the suite of rooms in Chamberlain Business Centre on Chamberlain Road taken on by                HER Breast Friends.  The move into premises enabled the Wig Bank to develop its service further offering more choice as well as providing a venue for training its very special volunteers with the help of professional hair and wig stylists.

In 2017 as it celebrates ten years of service in the local community the Wig Bank continues to offer a comfortable, caring, sensitive and friendly service to all existing and new clients.  Run on an appointment basis to offer convenience, privacy and confidentiality for clients, who include former Lord Mayor of Kingston upon Hull, Councillor Anita Harrison.

It was in the Spring of 2016 that we first welcomed Councillor Harrison to the Wig Bank, during her year of holding the official office.  As a new client visiting us for the first time she was so happy with the service received, she generously waived her anonymity in support of the Wig Bank and even featured in a Hull Daily Mail article about the service, publicly announcing herself as a wig wearer for the first time.  It was an incredibly brave thing to do.

Councillor Harrison, who continues to use the Wig Bank service, recently informed us this was the best thing she has ever done, her confidence went sky high and is why she is always happy to recommend and encourage others to visit the service.   The choice of wigs means she loves getting up in the morning, having a shower and deciding which wig she is going to wear, popping it on and the day starts – no hassle, and never a ‘bad hair’ day!

Anita also likes that she can support the Wig Bank in another way too, by donating back some of the wigs she no longer wears, and purchasing a different one to take home!

The low-cost of  the service enables all clients to change their ‘hairstyle’ as frequently as they would like, and many do throughout treatment and into recovery, or as they wait for their own hair to grow back. 

The service continues to develop, and although is still operated by the local breast cancer charity, it is important to note that the Wig Bank itself is not just for those affected by cancer.

It is open to anyone in our area who is affected by hair loss. 

Losing your hair, whatever the cause, can be a traumatic time and the Wig Bank’s team of volunteer wig fitters pride themselves on looking after all their clients.  They fully understand that the way we feel about ourselves, and how we look, can be closely linked to feelings of self-esteem and self-confidence.  Whether hair loss is as a result of cancer treatment, or a longer term condition such as alopecia, it can make people feel vulnerable. 

The Wig Bank currently has a range of donated and new wigs available in a variety of styles and colours as well as wig care products and accessories.  However we are always in need of more wigs in all lengths, styles and colours, so if anyone has a wig, in excellent condition, please considering donating it to the service.  Donating to the service really can make a difference and help make someone else’s journey a little easier.   All donated wigs are checked, sorted, washed and conditioned prior to being added to the service. 

The Wig Bank is open to ALL cancer patients and those affected by hair loss for other reasons. 

Clients can obtain a donated wig by making a donation to the Charity of around £10 per wig and this currently includes a pack of wig care products to help keep the wig in good condition.

NHS Wigs – unless you meet the criteria for a free wig, and this doesn’t even include all in receipt of some benefits, the current cost of an NHS wig is £68.90 for a stock modoacrylic wig from its limited range offered by an NHS contracted supplier.

The Wig Bank is a service set up and supported by Hull & East Riding Breast Friends, a registered charity run by volunteers who have themselves been affected by breast cancer.  The Charity offers a range of services to support local people affected by the disease and further details can be obtained from its website: www.herbreastfriends.org.uk

For further information about the Wig Bank here in Hull and East Yorkshire please contact initially: 

Jayne Beck, Charity Manager on 01482 221368 between the hours of 10am and 3pm Monday to Friday.