Barbering students provide free haircuts to the homeless at the Falcon Centre

Last Wednesday, 22 March, our Level 3 NVQ barbering students Alice Henley O'Sullivan, Max Wilson, and Rhys Turner and Lecturer Kerie Mooney went to the Falcon Centre in Loughborough to provide the homeless with free haircuts and give something back to the community.

The Falcon Centre is a charity that has been helping people experiencing homelessness and those needing independence through housing and community support for 20 years. Lecturer Kerie Mooney organised the visit after becoming aware of the Falcon Centre last year and what they do for the homeless and wanted to help the centre and make a difference to those in need.

The team walked to the centre and stayed there for a couple of hours, cutting around 20 men's and women's hair. It was a very valuable experience for the students, and they learned skills including communication, collaboration, respecting others, and upskilling their techniques for industry. The students thought they were a bit nervous, but after chatting with the clients, they enjoyed the experience.

Student Alice Henley O'Sullivan said, "It made me realise that you can't judge other people's situations and what is a 'simple' haircut to us makes all the difference to how they feel about themselves. One man had not had a haircut for two years – it was a transformation, and he left with a smile on his face."

Lecturer Kerie Mooney commented, "I was really proud of how professional and confident the students were. They found the experience humbling and would definitely go again. To give back a service to people to make themselves feel better is the best result."