New funding for hair restoration services
Since our launch 10 years ago we have helped hundreds of people with hair restoration services. Burns and scars have a traumatic and stigmatising impact for people with burns injuries. Our restoration services improve the appearance, and reduce the visibility, of scars in a way that improves an individual’s self-esteem, confidence and quality of life. However, with no government funded treatment available and ongoing costs for maintenance, the systems can be prohibitively expensive for survivors to pay for themselves.
We were delighted therefore to receive a grant of £9750 from the Hospital Saturday Fund.
The grant will go towards the costs of providing hair replacement systems, hair transplant surgery, and medical tattooing for people who have facial scarring and burns scar alopecia. This will mean that we can provide 13 people a year with ongoing support. The money awarded accounts for just under half of the total service cost for these individuals. The remaining funding is provided by long-standing relationships with highly specialist providers on a pro bono basis.
The Hospital Saturday Fund, established in 1873, makes grants to medically-associated charities throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland each year. In 2020, grants totalling £1.8m will be given. The cheque presentation was hosted pre lockdown by Lucinda Ellery’s studio, where The Katie Piper Foundation funded burns survivors receive hair replacement systems. The generous cheque was accepted by Lin, who has been supported with her hair replacement system for 10 years by The Katie Piper Foundation. She summed up the important role that her hair replacement systems play in her life. ‘Having my hair replacement system gives me a huge amount of confidence. I used to go out and worry about losing my wig, now I don’t have to think about it at all. I’ve started swimming again with The Friday Swimmers Club in Guilford and have even won medals in their Gala!’