Gift of grooming Haircuts for the homeless are Christmas Day treat
AGROUP of barbers and hairdressers spent Christmas Day cutting the hair of people experiencing homelessness.
Eddie Ilic said they managed to do 30 haircuts on Christmas Day, offering them from St James park in the city centre between 10am and 1pm.
A volunteer was also doing people’s nails, together with giving hand massages and manicures.
The 27-year-old said: “It was a really special day.
“Because of the pandemic, it has been quite tough for the homeless this year and they absolutely loved it [the haircuts].
“They were so appreciative of it. It was lovely to do something like that on Christmas Day and I hope it helps them and makes them feel good about themselves.
Mr Ilic, from Bath, said there were six volunteers there on the day – a mixture of barbers and hairdressers.
The barber, who has cut the hair of homeless people all over the country and abroad, said some of the people hadn’t had a haircut for several months.
“There was this lady who got her nails done and said she wanted a fringe,” he said. “It looked really nice on her and she was so happy with it - it really meant something to her.”
Mr Ilic, who has been sober for more than five years now, said the haircuts help him with his own recovery from addiction.
He continued: “I hope it helps them as much as it helps me. It gives them back their dignity – they are human beings and they want to be treated as such.
“For the homeless, it is really hard to get their hair looked after, and for them to look after themselves physically. It is not always on the top of the list when experiencing homelessness, so what we are doing is a treat for them to help them feel human again.
“People should realise that being able to look after themselves is something the homeless miss.”
The barber said people shouldn’t judge those experiencing home
lessness and, instead, they should realise it could happen to anyone.
More than 30 barbers and hairdressers are now involved in Eddie’s Street Cuts and, since it was set up four years ago, it is estimated they have done more than 800 haircuts.
The group runs a regular monthly session in Bristol.
It gives them back their dignity – they are human beings and they want to be treated as such
Eddie Ilic