The St Barnabas Hospice Wig Bank is in danger of closing unless volunteers come forward to help run it.
St Barnabas Hospice runs a Wig Bank every Monday, helping patients experiencing hair loss as part of their diagnosis. Sadly, the current volunteers are stepping down from their roles in March and the Hospice is asking for help to keep this service running.
The Wig Bank service is provided free of charge to patients living with a life-limiting or terminal illness across Lincolnshire, and the volunteers who run it play an incredible role in supporting patients with their diagnosis. St Barnabas hopes that new volunteers will help their patients choose the perfect wig and/or headwear, provide advice about scalp and wig care and support the patient through the process of obtaining a wig.
Since the Hospice set the Wig Bank up in 2014, it has supported over 450 patients.
Jane Fulton, a member of St Barnabas staff who has personal experience of the Wig Bank, said:
“When anyone is facing challenging treatments regarding their health, they need all their energy to focus on getting through it. The last thing they need is to face the prospect of hair falling out. Your hair identifies you as a person and losing it takes part of your identity away.
“The Wig Bank service at St Barnabas provides invaluable support in choosing a wig and fitting it. They understand what it means to face hair loss, they understand the emotions people are going through and they provide the most amazing wigs that will suit individual needs. Once the right wig has been found, confidence returns. You are not identified as someone ‘ill’ and you can get on with your treatment.”
St Barnabas would be delighted to speak to people with a knowledge of hair dressing who are able to support with this role. They are flexible and would be happy to change the day of the week that the Wig Bank opens if this suits someone better. A minimum of two volunteers will be needed to keep this service open in its current format.
To view more information on the role, visit https://recruitment.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/VacancyDetails.aspx?VacancyID=1753. Alternatively, call the Volunteer Services team on 01522 518 221 or email [email protected] to discuss it further.