Salon’s ‘chatter days’ raise cash for cause
AHAIRDRESSER with arthritis is opening her salon to the community to raise money for research into the condition.
Rebecca Walker, 34, developed arthritis after nearly 10 years of being a hairdresser in Macclesfield and across Cheshire.
She first noticed she had a stiff shoulder, then the pain moved to her elbow and now she has aches in joints all over her body.
It means the mum of one, of Hurdsfield Road, has constant pain when cutting hair and the repetitive nature of the work makes it worse. But she loves her job and opened her own salon, Quirkydo in Broken Cross, in 2011.
Now she has launched open days at the salon to raise money for Arthritis Research UK.
On ‘Chatterbox Tues- days’ she will stop taking appointments and instead open her salon to anyone from the community who wants to attend for socialising and a chat for a minimum £1.50 donation to the charity.
Rebecca, who is married to Paul and has a daughter Emilia, four, said: “It’s a chance for like-minded people to get together and just simply chat.
“There are lots of people in our community who want somewhere to go to meet people, and at the same time we can raise money for Arthritis Research.
“Hairdressing is the worst job if you have arthritis, you’re using your hands and are stood up all day. But I thought I either give in to it or keep going. Positive thinking really helps and having the business keeps me going.”
Rebecca has rheumatoid arthritis, an autoim- mune disease not directly caused by hairdressing, but the job can actually cause another type, named osteoarthritis. This is just one of the conditions which can affect hairdressers.
Repeatedly washing hands can lead to dermatitis, breathing in hairspray and other chemicals may be linked to asthma, using scissors every day can provoke arthritis and tendonitis and hair dye has been linked to bladder cancer, particularly older hair dye ingredients.
Rebecca is backing Usdaw, the shopworkers’ union which represents hairdressers, which is calling for better health and safety standards for hairdressers.
She said: “It’s really important. There’s not enough to emphasise the potential dangers to hairdressers.”
Chatterbox Tuesdays is on the first Tuesday of every month, starting on May 2, from 10am to 2pm.