New designer room for HeadStrong service

Posted 30th June 2015

Talented interior designer Lisa Barnes has used her design expertise to create a beautiful environment to support patients who are experiencing hair loss as a result of cancer treatment.

The bespoke room has been designed to feature calming interiors and exquisite custom made furniture for patients attending appointments with Breast Cancer Care’s ‘HeadStrong’ service. Merseyside comedienne Pauline Daniels who recently received treatment for breast cancer at the Centre was guest of honour at the afternoon tea party to officially launch the room today (Tuesday 30th June).

Lisa Barnes is the inspiration behind Warrington based design company Emmie B Interiors Ltd and enlisted local suppliers and businesses to donate services to create the tranquil environment away from the clinical setting.

She said: “I was honoured to be approached to help create this space, having lost people to cancer, and watched family members go through the awful experience of hair loss, I jumped at the chance to create something that will help patients feel pampered and special at such a vulnerable time in their lives. I took my inspiration from a wall covering I saw at a Paris design show, the covering featured vintage Vogue magazines with glamourous cover girls wearing headscarves. As soon as I heard the room was called ‘HeadStrong’ I knew this would be the perfect starting point and it also had the perfect colour palette to create a warm and inviting feeling for this unique service.”

HeadStrong is a free and unique service from Breast Cancer Care where patients attend a private appointment and talk to specially trained volunteers about how to tie headscarves and use hats and hair pieces. The volunteers, many of whom have been through cancer themselves, also share tips about hair and scalp care before, during and after treatment as well as talking through any worries patients may have.

Jade Barrett, Fundraising Manager at The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity said: “It has been a pleasure working with Lisa to create what we know will be an invaluable sanctuary for our patients experiencing hair loss. Her generosity and creative talent have combined to produce an absolutely beautiful room which thousands of patients from across the North West will benefit from. The psychological effect of hair loss can be severe for some patients and we now have this special place to offer them support and privacy in a purpose built facility.”

Many people will lose either some or all of their hair as a result of chemotherapy treatment. For some, this is the most distressing side effect of a cancer diagnosis.

Kate Smith, Head of Quality and Information at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre added: “Not only is this room beautiful, it’s functional. There is space for relatives or friends to sit on stunning custom-built furniture and the bespoke cabinets keep all the necessary extras hidden away from sight to leave a relaxing, clutter free space. We wanted the room to feel like the patient is stepping into a spa consultation room and Lisa has surpassed that ideal. Some patients struggle during hair loss with their reflection in the mirror and Lisa has helped create a perfect ‘filter’ blind for the mirror so the patient can view their outline reflection without the stark mirror reflection. Working along-side Lisa, we have now delivered a fantastic new room, with a contemporary and welcoming feel for our patients and carers. It’s just perfect, we can’t thank her enough for her generosity and time.”

HeadStrong appointments are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Centre in Wirral. To book call 0151 334 1155 ext 4109 or visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk

Mary Roberts has been a volunteer for the service for ten years. She spoke to the attendees at the launch to explaining what the new room will mean for herteam and the service users:

"When we started the HeadStrong service ten years ago, little did we dream we would ever have anything like this.

Before moving in here, we had no fixed address and operated from various rooms around the hospital…the most unusual being the children's wendy house which was then in the radiotherapy department, and most recently in the Oasis therapies room in the CReST department.

There are now eight of us in the team, all committed to giving the best possible service to people facing hairloss. We are able to see five new clients a week, giving each of them an hour’s appointment. Now, having our own room, we can offer flexible appointments if necessary, to clients who might not be able to attend on one of our regular days.

We also now have the ability to carry more stock than before and can therefore offer a wider choice than when we had to fit everything into a small trolley.

In short, we are thrilled to have such a lovely, non-clinical haven in which to see our ladies and gentlemen.

We are told we are the busiest HeadStrong service in the country and we hope it’s the best. We are certainly very proud of it.

Thank you."