(^66) Hampshire Life: February 2019
was ‘will I die?’...right behind
that was ‘will I lose my hair?’”, he
shares.
As Trevor explains, the work
he does isn’t just about hair and
hair styles, it’s fundamentally
more important than that. It’s
about bringing back confidence
to these clients, offering them
psychological support and
making them feel good at a very
difficult time in their lives.
“Hair is always on show.
Cancer can be in different parts
of your body but when you wear
clothes, people don’t know. The
first thing you think when you
see someone in the street with
no hair, is cancer. It’s incredible
the effect a good wig can have
on someone’s confidence. It’s the
missing link in their treatment.
They just want to look like
they’ve always looked.”
Having channelled his energies
into making mynewhair such a
success, last year brought another
brush with cancer which made
Trevor even more determined
to do what he could - his own
daughter, Jade was diagnosed,
aged 40.
“I’ve experienced so many
different emotions in all of that.
The one thing that I’ve never felt
from my own point of view when
I’ve been doing this work is how it
affects the family. Now I know. I
hit the ground.”
Experiencing a rollercoaster of
emotions after Jade’s diagnosis,
Trevor felt compelled to go one
step further. With retirement
in mind, he decided to convert
a room within his own home
to be able to offer a free wig
customisation service for patients
undergoing chemotherapy
in Portsmouth/Gosport and
surrounding areas. Providing this
vital access to others has enabled
Trevor to be able to give back to
his local community and make
a much-needed service more
available to patients closer to
home. mynewhair has linked up
with Queen Alexandra Hospital
in Portsmouth, which has a
large oncology department, in
order to be able to advertise this
opportunity to their patients and
Carole, Trevor’s wife, acts as the
first port of call for those wishing
to book Trevor’s services. It was
her vision which has transformed
the room, and Carole chats to
each individual, helping them
to arrange an appointment and
offering advice. She is also the
person who greets them when
they enter the couple’s home,
sitting down with them and
making the experience a bespoke
one from start to finish.
“We’ve tried to make the
room homely – not like a salon
but somewhere comfortable,
reassuring. I want each client
to feel in safe hands. There are
photos and letters in here so that
they can see what I’ve done,”
Trevor explains. “I like to get to
know the client before we start
with hair - the best way to do that
is to sit down and have a cup of
tea together.”
ABOVE: Trevor
now welcomes
clients in to his
own home in
Gosport
‘The first thing you
think when you see
someone in the street
with no hair, is cancer.
It’s incredible the effect
a good wig can have on
someone’s confidence’
Reading letters strewn over the
walls of Trevor’s newly appointed
consultation room, one can’t help
feeling that he has brought so
much more than his experience
and skills to these clients’ lives.
He’s created a legacy which will
endure, one that gives others
a feeling of wellbeing at a time
when hope, support and self-
confidence are crucial.
“I can’t wait for the first person
to walk into my salon here. At
the end of the day, I’m just a
hairdresser. I’ve never made a
penny doing this but the reward
is enormous and I’ll do it until I
can’t stand up anymore,” he adds.
With all that he has achieved
with mynewhair and this new
venture at home, Trevor is
offering something far more
important than scissors and
styling alone could ever offer.
He helps to make everyone who
comes for a consultation feel
more like their old self again,
giving them the chance to take
back their confidence and shine
a light in their darkest hour. He’s
not just a hairdresser as he likes
to think of himself but to so many
of his clients, he’s a hero.
Find out more at mynewhair.org
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