"A good wig is something that doesn't look like a wig”

Steven met mother and daughter team Desiree and Raime Nurse at Cleopatra's Beauti Spot on the corner of Military Road in Chatham. They discussed setting up their Cleopatra's Legacy CIC, the work they do for cancer patients in Medway, their journey to Medway, and lots more.

What is your official occupation?
Desiree: Officially, I'm a business owner of Cleopatra's Beauti Spot and co-founder and director of Cleopatra’s Legacy CIC.
Raime: I am the administrator for Cleopatra's Beauti Spot and the other co-founder for Cleopatra’s Legacy CIC. 

Do you have any additional roles, paid or unpaid?
Desiree: At the moment, I am on the Community Health Voices for the NHS and ICB [Integrated Care Board]. I am also one of the business advisors’ team for Medway Council. I also sit on the IAG [Independent Advisory Group] for the Police, and I think that's about it. Actually, I'm on the panel for the victims support team for Kent and Medway Police.

What is Cleopatra’s Legacy? 
Desiree: Cleopatra’s Legacy has become a hub, a hug. We have evolved into our own little ecosystem in terms of the needs that we provide, which is a lot more than a hairdressers. What we've done is listen to the needs of everybody that's come through the door and try to meet that, with the core foundation being Cleopatra and my grandmother and what she did. We try to find solutions for anybody in need. They would come into Cleopatra’s Beauti Spot to meet their hair needs, and we've evolved over time. What subsequently happened is that when we started Cleopatra’s Beauti Spot, people would come to us for wigs having dermatological issues like psoriasis and bad scarring, or being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Over time, we've evolved to meet the needs of those clients in terms of providing headwear, wigs, and installation systems. But then, having conversations with these individuals coming to meet the hair needs, we've then identified that they were struggling more than that. The ones that were diagnosed with cancer, and that was quite a lot, coming through the doors wanting wigs, we identified that they needed assistance in terms of mastectomy wear, breast forms, adhesive eyebrows and nipples and all these different things. The level of anxiety that they'd have upon diagnosis. Again, being who I am, thought, “How can we solve this problem and relieve these ladies or people going through these most trying times of their life and really struggling to get their needs met?” I'd done some research and realised that nobody's done a one-stop solution in terms of meeting the needs and not just cancer patients, but people that have different needs altogether. We embarked on training at Medway Hospital... Did I jump a step? 
Raime: I think you did. You're going back now, aren't you? 
Desiree: What happened? Before we jumped to the mastectomy wear? Firstly, you need to forgive me because I have had a stroke and I have brain damage. My memory's all over the shop floor, and I'm going through menopause. 
That's why we've got Raime joining in. 
Desiree: Yes! We had a lot of women coming through Cleopatra's Beauti Spot for the wig needs. Some of them would come from the hospital literally in tears and say, “I've just been given this wig from the hospital. It's not fit for purpose. I hate it. Can you help?” We had about eight of them coming in a month. Firstly, it's a waste on the NHS, and secondly, they're not getting the needs met, and that causes more anxiety. One day, a lady came through the doors in tears, and she was crying. “I just got this wig, I'm gonna start my chemo.” I went in the private room, fitted her with her wig. She was happy, because it looked like her hair.
A few weeks later, we started a contract with the hospital providing the wigs. We started in October 2014, and that ended in 2022. That is another story. We saw over 400 people coming through the doors diagnosed with one type of illness or the other. About 80% was cancer, of which the majority was breast cancer. The clinical staff in the hospital was doing their job, and we were bridging that gap in terms of meeting those needs, having conversations with these people. Then fast forward, we had a conversation about the anxiety levels and the mastectomy wear, and then I had the training done through that manager in the hospital. We came up with the one-stop solution. We then embarked on having further conversations with these individuals and realised that a majority had no knowledge. It was an accidental finding. Some of them have a wider history of breast cancer, they still don't know how to routinely check. Then we started working on breast cancer awareness. 

Why did you decide to become a Community Interest Company?
Raime: Before we became a CIC, we did not have much knowledge of it. We didn't know what it was. But at the time, a business had opened next door to us, which raised a little bit of concern at the time because they were going to be seemingly replicating what we're doing right next door. We reached out to Medway Council to see if anything could be done to avoid that, and the answer was no. But they did supply us with a business advisor who came into us and was offering us support in regard to the business.
We were already, as Desiree said, offering that support to the community. But we were just Cleopatra’s Beauti Spot . He said, well, they should be separated and because there's such a huge community element of that aspect, it would make more sense for you to become a Community Interest Company. We went ahead and we looked into that. We recognised that this sounds ideal. Also, we'd be able to have an umbrella that we could have them both under. So Cleopatra’s Legacy CIC was born.

I want it to be that place that will bring light and life to people

What is Cleopatra's Beauti Spot? 
Desiree: We have created our own ecosystem, where we start by looking at somebody's image and then we...
Raime: The question is about Cleopatra's Beauti Spot.
Desiree: Right, okay. I can see why you're here. Cleopatra's Beauti Spot was founded in 2007, and that was on the back of the growing diverse community that was building in Medway. We had moved here from London, and we had to go back to London for hair care products and services. We started with Cleopatra's Beauti Spot, and that was in Chatham InShops in the Trafalgar Centre, in a little unit. 
Raime: What is it?
Desiree: Oh god. 
Raime: It's a hairdresser's that supports everybody within the community. When it originally started, we were supporting the growing African-Caribbean demographic. Over time, we were able to support everybody that needed our services, and that's what we do.

Why is it called Cleopatra's?
Desiree: Cleopatra was the name of my grandmother. I grew up in Trinidad, and my earlier years was with my grandmother Cleopatra. Fortunately for us, my grandfather used to work for the oil company. His work provided living accommodation for staff members, because he was senior staff. We were living in a village that had about 80 families and households. One of the core memories I have of my grandmother is that no matter what happened in that village, somebody would come to the house, whether it be financial issues, food, marital issues, children issues, whatever the case might be, and she'd always find a solution for them. That was that house in that village that everybody will gravitate to for good times or bad times. What was quite core to me is that they'll never leave that house without a smile. She was fundamental to my upbringing and core to who I am. Calling the business Cleopatra's, I want it to be that place that will bring light and life to people.

Raime, how did you come to be involved in Cleopatra's Beauti Spot? Did you have a choice?
Raime: Dragged in, kicking and screaming (laughs). I think when I realised how passionate my mum was about it, and I also saw how beneficial it was to the community. It made sense to come on board and help support her with that.