When we received an email from Gayle Watson telling us about a new charity called Cut & Connect, we couldn’t help but hop on a call.
Gayle is the Financial Director for the recently launched charity that provides hairdressing services from the back of a converted van to vulnerable communities in Ayrshire. “We bought a brand-new van, fitted it out as a luxury hairdressing service, with leather chairs, a washing station, a barista machine, and the best technology (including solar panels) to make it eco-friendly, and we go out and visit a variety of communities,” she tells us, as we chat on the phone.
From food banks and homeless shelters to schools and churches, the team work five days a week to deliver an average of eight haircuts per day. “It can be old ladies at the church hall that are suffering with social isolation or physical problems that prevent them getting into a salon to visiting high schools for children that are excluded and not engaging in schools, and so on.” At the moment, Suzi Nimmo is the only hairdresser.
Meet Suzi Nimmo, Hairdresser at Cut & Connect
Suzi’s career began when she was just 14, working in a local salon in Kilmarnock, Scotland, on a Thursday evening and a Saturday. Soon after, she went on to do her apprenticeship at Ian Robertson International, and once qualified, moved onto a salon in Ayr called Francis John. After working there for a few years, Suzi decided to take the plunge and become self-employed. Ten years later, she moved on to work at Rainbow Room International. “I loved working at Rainbow Room. I got to do the BAFTAs, work backstage – I had a lot of opportunities there.” Fast forward five years, and Suzi was presented with an opportunity she just couldn’t miss, working for Cut & Connect.
“I’ve done charity work before, cutting hair for the homeless on Christmas day, so when this opportunity came up, I thought this is one of a kind,” she says. “I enjoy helping others and since I had the interview, I’ve never looked back. I get so much from giving to people that are in need, so I feel very lucky.”
Talking us through a typical day in the life, Suzi tells us: “I get up in the morning, go and meet our driver, Jim – there’s always two of us in the van for safety reasons – and we go somewhere different every single day whether it be north, east or south Ayrshire. Sometimes we go to a few different places a day."
But it comes with its challenges. “I want to help people in my seat more than I can, but a lot of it is out of my control. I struggled to start with, I was taking home a lot of people’s problems because when they come into the van, they just lay it all out. It’s a lot to try and advise them how to make their lives a bit better, and it’s been really challenging at times, but I’ve managed to overcome that.”
But it’s the difference the team makes to people’s lives that makes Suzi the most proud. “When I go home, I feel as though I’ve made a difference every single day.” What’s next, we ask her. “Keep building, keep pushing, and hopefully we get another van on the road. Seeing how quickly things have taken odd with Cut & Connect makes you realise that there’s such a need for it.”
