A £12,000 micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales is helping to launch a new training academy designed to close critical gaps in wig provision and hair‑replacement services across Wales.
Scarlett Jack Hairitage – The Academy, founded by Anastasia Cameron, will deliver City & Guilds–assured training aimed at raising professional standards and practice in the sector, building a skilled workforce and improving the care offered to people experiencing medical‑related hair loss.
The investment, provided through the Wales Micro Loan Fund, will support the Academy as it prepares for launch, enabling targeted marketing, the purchase of specialist course equipment and early working capital.
With 18 years’ experience in further education, 25 years in hairdressing, hair loss and replacement services, and long‑standing relationships with NHS healthcare providers, cancer charities and educational institutions; Anastasia has combined her professional expertise with personal lived experience and feedback to design training programmes that address long‑standing gaps in technical skill, inclusion and patient‑centred ethical care.
Her journey into founding the Academy is shaped in part by her own experience of hair loss during breast cancer treatment in 2021. Her insight and experiences, together with feedback from clients and healthcare providers, highlighted a need for better‑trained practitioners who can support people at their most vulnerable. The Academy’s new courses will incorporate specialist trichology training delivered in collaboration with TrichoCare Education, a leading provider of trichology education and accredited training.
She said “Over many years of supporting clients through their experiences of hair loss, I witnessed the emotional toll it can take. Clients also reported encountering bad practices and unethical guidance, as well as advice that lacked appropriate knowledge, all of which only exacerbated their distress - but going through it myself having negative experiences of my own gave me a far deeper understanding of what some patients are facing.
“Patients deserve a service that is inclusive and personalised to align with their identity and respect their dignity, delivered with genuine empathy. In addition, there needs to be a greater focus on practitioner guidance which is ethical and knowledgeable, that supports patients to make informed decisions. That’s why I created the Academy – to ensure practitioners are not only technically skilled but also trained in trauma‑informed, patient‑centred care.
“The support from the Development Bank has allowed me to give this training the launch it deserves. It means we reach practitioners and related professionals, and we can ensure the next generation of practitioners are empowered and equipped to offer high‑quality, skilled and compassionate care across Wales.”
Donna Strohmeyer, Investment Executive at the Development Bank of Wales, said:
“Scarlett Jack Hairitage – The Academy is a powerful example of how lived experience and professional expertise can come together to create genuinely meaningful change. Anastasia has identified a clear skills gap and developed a training provision that will improve the quality of care available to people experiencing hair loss. Our investment will help her build capacity, strengthen the specialist workforce and support better outcomes for patients and providers across Wales.”
Financed by Welsh Government, the Wales Micro Loan Fund offers flexible loans from £1,000 to £100,000 to help Welsh businesses start, strengthen and grow.
For information, visit www.developmentbank.wales
