Itskaylssss The Beauty School and Salon nominates St Oswald’s Hospice as their Charity of the Year

“The difference it makes to have specialist care & support is huge. Nobody should ever feel like they’re alone or that they haven’t got anyone to talk to who understands.”

Based in Seaton Delaval, Itskaylssss The Beauty School and Salon have a series of monthly fundraisers planned for clients and locals to get involved in, all to raise funds for St Oswald’s Hospice. Last week, we caught up with Kayleigh at her salon and she shared with us why she’s chosen St Oswald’s Hospice as her Charity of the Year.

“I launched my business towards the end of lockdown and it’s gone from strength to strength,” said business-owner Kayleigh. “It’s been fantastic but also a bit overwhelming as it’s all happened so quickly.”

Kayleigh continued, “St Oswald’s has been amazing for us as a whole family and my Mam couldn’t have coped with her conditions without the support and care from the staff. They are brilliant.”

Kayleigh’s mam accesses the specialist Lymphoedema Service at St Oswald’s Hospice, receiving care and support to treat and manager her condition.

Kayleigh explained, “My Mam used to be really active and when she became unwell, it was very hard for her because she couldn’t do the things she used to do and enjoy. As the years have gone by, she’s become more debilitated and as a family, this has been difficult to see.”

In addition to providing expert and specialist care, the Lymphoedema team supports patients and their families, helping individuals to manage and understand their condition, and offers advice on how to adapt their everyday activities.

“Nominating St Oswald’s Hospice as my Charity of the Year was an idea I had when on holiday,” said Kayleigh. “When my Mam was first diagnosed, it was disheartening to see how little support existed for her. She had so many questions following appointments with the doctor, she struggled to understand why it was happening and it wasn’t until she was referred to the Lymphoedema Service at the Hospice that she was finally able to talk to someone who better understood her condition and how to manage it.”

Kicking off her fundraising in January, Itskaylssss The Beauty School and Salon became a drop off point where people could bring their donations for the Hospice Charity Shops. What started as a couple of bags soon escalated to tens of bags and boxes, and even some furniture!

This was followed in February by a bonus ball draw, where Kayleigh’s clients were able to buy a number and be entered into a draw to win a selection of treatments at the Salon, with a value of £500. This raised £590 for the Hospice.

Talking about future fundraising plans, Kayleigh said, “I’ve got a charity night coming up in July at Bates Cottage Cricket Club. The club have kindly given me the room for free and local businesses are getting involved as well. Later in the year, I’m planning to re-launch my website so will have something on in the salon to celebrate that. Then in September, I’ll be taking on the Great North Run!”

It certainly sounds like an action-packed year!

And that’s not all. Kayleigh has also signed up to be one of our Giving Day champions. Giving Day is St Oswald’s biggest and bravest fundraising campaign to date where we’ll be aiming to raise £300k in just 33 hours. On March 28th, all donations will be doubled thanks to the generosity of some special friends of the hospice who have pledged funds into a pledge pot ready to be unlocked on the day.

When we asked Kayleigh why she’s signed up as a Giving Day champion, she said, “As soon as I put the banners up in my Salon for the hospice and people started to see the donation can, it was amazing how many clients have stories to tell about the work that the Hospice does. The experiences people have shared have been so lovely, the ways in which their friends and family members have been supported and cared for at really difficult times are so special to hear. The Giving Day is a chance for people to do something really big. Even by giving a little bit, it becomes big because it gets doubled.”

From a personal point of view, Kayleigh and her family continue to sing the praises of St Oswald’s Hospice and how invaluable it is to them.

Kayleigh added, “The difference it makes to have specialist care & support is huge. Nobody should ever feel like they’re alone or that they haven’t got anyone to talk to who understands.”

If you’d like more information on how you or your business can support St Oswald’s Hospice, please click here.