11 people were given free haircuts as part of the Peterborough launch of Haircuts4Homeless, a charity which provides free haircuts for homeless people.

Haircuts4HomelessThe scheme, officially launched by the Mayor of Peterborough this week, is being delivered in partnership with Outside Links, the centre which provides support services to both homeless people and the men and women who leave HMP Peterborough.

Haircuts will be available as part of the scheme the first Monday of every month at Outside Links (YMCA Timestop, 101 Wellington Street, Peterborough).

The charity Haircuts4Homeless was set up with the aim of building a community of skilled hairdressers willing to give their time freely to help homeless people. It has locations across the country, with Peterborough its first in the East of England.

Sharron Walker gave free haircuts on the launch day, saying: “A haircut, kind words, and making someone feel human can put a smile back on someone's face. We all know how much better we feel after a haircut, it might just be the thing that's needed for that extra step towards getting off the streets."

Haircuts4Homeless will be a natural extension of the services already offered at Outside Links and we’re excited about our partnership.

Damian Evans, Director of HMP Peterborough, said:

We are immensely proud of our Outside Links centre and we always want to find additional ways of helping those at risk stay away from further offending. If a simple haircut will help towards that aim then Outside Links is a great place to provide it and we’re really pleased to be working with Haircuts4Homeless.

Outside Links has been providing services since 2014 and aims to help people released from HMP Peterborough to successfully settle back into the community and to help reduce the risk of reoffending.

This can include benefits advice, support applying for jobs and free toiletries as well as a range of other services.

Bridget Peeroo, Senior Prison Custody Officer at Outside Links, added:

Homeless people face a huge number of challenges and a haircut can really help to boost their confidence. If they have an appointment to try to arrange housing, employment or meetings with their parole officer, feeling better about how they look can help them to take a more positive approach.

Any qualified hairdressers interested in offering their support and expertise should contact Sharron Walker: sharron.walker@hotmail.com

 

Pictured

Sharron Walker from Haircuts4Homeless and a service user

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