Joshua Coombes je kaderníkom z Londýna. Jeho salón je obrovský, no jeho klientela ani zďaleka nie je celebritná, ako by ste si mohli pomyslieť.

[sociallocker]29-ročný kaderník Josh Coombes sa pred rokom rozhodol pre rázny krok. Vymenil pohodlie salóna za ulice Londýna. Strihá a upravuje vlasy bezdomovcom. Samozrejme, zadarmo.

Josh so svojimi priateľmi Mattom Spracklenom a Davom Burtom vytvorili dobročinnú kampaň Niečo za nič! (#DoSomethingForNothing). V rámci nej sa jeho salónom stali ulice Londýna a strihá bezdomovcov.

Život na ulici nie je jednoduchý. Ako aj hovorí jedna pani vo videu, nikto sa k ľuďom bez domova nepriblíži, nepomôže, neporozpráva. Sú na okraji spoločnosti, ľudia od nich bočia. Josh presne naopak. Ide po ulici a vyhľadáva bezdomovcov. Prihovorí sa im, vysvetlí, čo robí. Svoje nástroje nosí vždy pri sebe. Vie, že sa im tým nezmení život od základu, ale berie to ako prejav empatie. Budú sa tak cítiť lepšie a ktovie, možno ten pocit, že vyzerajú dobre, im dodá silu pri pohovore a podarí sa im nájsť zamestnanie.

Pozrite sa na pár skvelých premien. Povedali by ste, že sú to ľudia z ulice?

josh

@DoSomethingForNothing || This is Paul, He’s been homeless in and off for years now. Paul was in tears at more than one point during his haircut. He told us he was violently attacked hours before we bumped into him, because he threw himself on top of a friend to protect him from a beating. He took it instead. We could see his legs, hands and head were extremely sore and bruised from where he had been repeatedly hit with bottles. In this moment I believe Paul’s willingness to defend a friend means he’s probably out classed most of us. Profoundly moving. You can’t fix everyone. But for the time we are with them we can listen, we can hear their story, we can love them, we can be bringers of compassion and dignity. Paul’s haircut made him happy, I could feel his appreciation as we embraced at the end. Myself, @daveburt & @mattspracklen left him smiling. I told him I’ve he’s hairdresser now and that he’ll see us all again soon. Share your own stories on #DoSomethingForNothing – you might not be able to cut hair, but you can use your time and your own skills to make a difference to one person.

Fotka uverejnená používateľom Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes),

This is Zack, 33 years old. Zack is such character, it’s hard to explain without actually meeting him, but this guy is awesome. He has a huge heart and plays a big role in the homeless community down at Charing Cross. I’ve met Zack plenty of times now, but today was the first time I’ve given him a haircut. He grew up on London near Upton Park and fell upon hard times a long time ago. Zack didn’t wanna speak to me about family but said he hasn’t got anybody to rely on here anymore. He’s been homeless for years but wants a fresh start and to enjoy some of the things most of us have the opportunity to each day. I want to follow Zack’s story and help him along. He hadn’t had his haircut properly in ages so it was great to give him a makeover, I could see he was brimming with confidence afterwards. Giving someone back there dignity, even for a short while, makes it all worth it for me. #DoSomethingForNothing

Fotka uverejnená používateľom Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes),

This is Ozzy, 27 years old. He’s been sleeping on the street for nearly two years now. His last haircut was over six months ago so we had a good amount of hair to get through. He wanted me to keep his beard to go with some of the fashion he sees around lately. Ozzy is a really gentle guy with a genuine warmth about him. Unfortunately recently he’s fallen into a fierce addiction with Spice, a synthetic cannabis, far more potent with far stronger effects. I run into this drug a lot when working on street. Most men and women telling me they never thought they’d get addicted to this stuff. Searching for a cheap way to sleep at night can very quickly become addiction for most that use it. Ozzy told me he’s trying to cut down and feels positive about improving his health. After the haircut he joked with me saying – ‘Hopefully girls might stare at me for the right reasons now!’ #DoSomethingForNothing

Fotka uverejnená používateľom Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes),

This is ‘Cookie’, 38 years old – Currently he sleeps under an archway of a train bridge with his girlfriend. They have been homeless in Exeter for the last few years. I saw Cookie sat playing his guitar, strumming a Beatles song and I couldn’t help but go and talk to him. Cookie was born in New Zealand to Maori heritage, his family moved to the U.K. when he was just five. He talked to me about growing up in a council estate near Peterbourgh, recalling a rough place where he had to get strong quickly to keep up with the other kids. He fell into crime at an early stage with friends where he lived and told me in humour of a failed attempt to steal a car that ended up in a police chase, which landed him with a prison sentence. Cookie said that life in prison changed him and he felt jaded when returning to life outside. He couldn’t maintain steady work and slowly found himself forced to homelessness. After the haircut unfortunately our good vibes were brought to a halt. A city council van arrived with two officers here to deliver him and his girl with a 24hr notice to leave the location and their belongings would removed if they didn’t comply. When I questioned this I was met with hostility and the only reason being that the area has to be “cleansed” and cleaned tomorrow. This lack of empathy was horrible to witness. It had been a long while since his last haircut so it was great to freshen things up for the summer ahead. I know this guy has a positive head his shoulders and wants to improve his situation. In the meantime I’m gonna do what I can to help out. #DoSomethingForNothing

Fotka uverejnená používateľom Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes),

This is ‘Twitch’ 27 years old. Twitch has has 2 young children, a boy and a girl that live with his ex partner a few hours east of Melbourne. Things didn’t work out in their relationship so he goes to see them whenever he can. Twitch grew up in Melbourne, drugs have always played a role in his life since his teen years. He spent a short sentence in prison last year, got out in December and has been homeless since then. He told me he doesn’t like to sit down and ask for money but prefers to wander the city, meet new people and try to plan his next move in life. He was really adamant he’ll be back on track soon and able to spend more time with his children. There was a real kindness to Twitch, he spoke of aspirations to help others to not get in this situation themselves. After the haircut we wanted to talk more so I offered to take him for a drink and spend some more time together. At this point he called me crazy! Telling me he’s never had somebody do something like this for him since being on the street. We sat by the river, chatted and watched the last bit of light leave Melbourne that day before parting ways. I hope to see you again soon brother ✌?️ #DoSomethingForNothing

Fotka uverejnená používateľom Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes),

This is Luke, 38. Luke has been homeless on the streets of Melbourne for six months. He used to work in logistics, doing the 9-5 like many others living their city lives here. Luke didn’t get on with his boss and got the sack from his job for a difference in opinion one day. After trying to pick up any casual work he could in and around the city, it wasn’t long before his pay check didn’t match rent prices and that started this chapter in his life. Luke has no family here in Australia anymore after he lost his mother. His Father lives in New Zealand but they don’t speak after an abusive relationship growing up. Luke’s outlook on his current situation is so rational and positive. We chatted throughout the hair cut, he said – ‘I look at this period as time to think for me, I actually feel like this will be a good thing one day’ Luke taught himself how to make bracelets and necklaces to sell and told me he wakes up early each day and starts the day like he would at work with routine because he likes that. They are so intricate and amazing, I joked with him that he could probably plat hair way better than I can! If you see this handsome chap go and say hi. He told me I made his day with the haircut, he made mine. #DoSomethingForNothing

Fotka uverejnená používateľom Joshua Coombes (@joshuacoombes),

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Zdroj: bbc.com | Foto: Facebook.com, Instagram.com[/sociallocker]

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