So, Thursday 19th April was Trendco Hove's first Alopecia support group of 2012 and it was brilliant......

I guess we never really know how many people are going to show for the support groups as Michelle (the host) generally organises when meetings are being held but when I walked into the room I was pleasantly surprised to find all the chairs to be taken and even people were sitting round the sides as well! Also not only to my joy but to all the other ladies that attended we had a gentleman who had joined us! It is always so refreshing to see men come along to the meetings as I think as women we forget that men do get alopecia and that it is also hard going for them too. I think we just think, oh men eventually lose their hair as they get older anyway so why would it bother them if they lost their hair through alopecia......... well this brave gentleman kindly put it into perspective for us that it isn't just about the hair on your head, it's your eyebrows, your eyelashes and if for a man you are used to having a beard, that all goes too. The very things that do define a face! To be honest, I don't think he was interested in getting a wig but it was very touching to see the ladies involve him in conversations and they made him feel very welcome, I hope he comes to the next one!

As the meeting got underway, Phoebe from Trendco Hove spoke about the NEW TRENDCO COLLECTION BROCHURE, showing the ladies (and gentleman) the fabulous new brochure and the wigs and products available. I then kindly stepped up and spoke about TAG, explaining to everyone how TAG works and that we want to get people talking etc. After Phoebe's and my riveting talks, we left everyone to talk amongst themselves and they certainly did! As this meeting is the 3rd or 4th one now, the conversation seems to flow a lot more easily and it feels like people want to and can open up more. Even by the end of the support group, ladies who were previously saying to me how conscious they were about having alopecia and wearing a wig were taking them off!

The conversation soon turned to talking about wigs and everyone's different styles they wear. There was a whole load of variety; Amore, Noriko, Sentoo and Dermalites were among the few. One lady, who has been a client of Gill's (Veteran Trendco Stylist) for many years, said that she is due a new wig but asked if there was any new styles on the horizon. As the Amore brochure is due out in the next few weeks and I knew for a fact that there are going to be 2 new gorgeous styles, Natasha and Marianna, that will be available, I quickly ran (in my ridiculous platforms) to the office to grab the samples that we had received by Rene of Paris. Once I got back to the support group, the ladies flocked round me like I was a celeb! They loved the new styles! It seems that when these beauties hot Trendco's shelves, they are going to fly off! Phoebe and Gill also brought out a box of magic tricks.....CHRISTINE HEADWEAR! As the new Spring/Summer collection has just arrived, the ladies (and gentleman) also got a sneak preview of some of the scarves and turbans available this season. Once again a lot of the ladies were trying on the turbans and a few even bought a few there and then! I guess coming to the alopecia group is not only a great chance to meet people with possibly the same challenges as you but you also get an exclusive insight to new styles and products hitting Trendco's shelves. The two hours flew by and I was quite sad when people started to say bye.

The next date for the Alopecia Support group is on the 2nd August 2012. I hope to see everyone there again and also new people to come and check it out. Refreshments are provided so no one will go parched or hungry and it has turned into a great atmospheric support group. Trendco Hove will also be offering 10% off any wig or product bought that day by anyone who has attended the support group!

For anyone who wants more information on the support groups held at Trendco Hove, please call 01273 778516 or call Michelle on 07984536909. If you would also like a Trendco brochure pack, please call our customer service team on 01273774977.

As always, thank you for reading!

Lana

xxx