News Story
Sep 2016 / Learners
A selfless young barber is using his spare time to cut the hair of the homeless on the streets of Cardiff.
Jamie Richards, 18, from Aberdare, has been using his hairdressing skills to help those who can’t afford regular haircuts.
For the last eight months Jamie has been travelling to the Welsh capital, and other nearby areas, to offer his services free of charge.
Jamie, who works at Lynx Hairdressers and Barbers, Aberdare and is undertaking an Apprenticeship with ACT Training, decided to volunteer after seeing so many homeless people around Cardiff.
“I just generally started to cut their hair,” he said.
“I just thought, why not? I was lucky enough to get my training and I work in a shop but I thought it would be good to do something for those less fortunate.”
Jamie said he had always noticed quite a lot of homeless people in South Wales, particularly in Cardiff.
Although he admitted to not being the richest man in the world, he said he has the money to travel back and forth to Cardiff when he wants.
Even though he may not always be able to donate money to homeless people, he is using his skills to make a difference in an alternative way.
He said he cuts hair in the streets, on street corners, next to the people’s sleeping bags – he works wherever people feel most comfortable.
Despite some people questioning him for what he does, he said he just carries out his work as normal and refuses to accept money.
He was recently given £35 in one day alone, but he passed the money on to the homeless. He said: “People often stop to look and take pictures. Sometimes they also try to give me money. In all honesty, it’s just something I started doing one day to give something back to the people who need it the most.”
