Barber for the homeless in Bath and Bristol expects more clients

A barber who provides free haircuts for the homeless says he is expecting to see more clients this winter.

Eddie Ilic, 28, from Bath, started the service after turning his own life around by overcoming drug and alcohol addiction.

He visits homeless organisations to cut hair and also provides cuts on the streets of Bath and Bristol, along with a group of volunteers.

"I think it's going to get really tough and people will struggle," he said.

Mr Ilic works with organisations including Bristol Outreach Services for the Homeless (BOSH), Genesis Trust and Julian House in Bath.

He said he had been sober for seven years and wanted to spread a message of hope.

"Before Covid we probably cut 30 peoples' hair regularly and during lockdown it doubled," he said.

The barber said he expected the number to increase this winter as people struggle with the rising cost of living.

"When times are hard, the rates of addiction and substance abuse rise too - I'm not saying everyone who is homeless has addiction problems at all - it's going to get harder for everyone this year.

"There will be a stretch on services this winter, including mental health, which will affect the most vulnerable.

"That's why I do this though, to give that message of hope and help those who need it," the 28-year-old added.

It was his boss at BA1 Hair in Bath, Phil Thompson, who helped him to re-direct his life when he was going through addiction.

"When you are in addiction, you are just thinking about yourself, where to get money, but when you are in recovery you become selfless and want to give back.

"When I was with Phil helping at a soup kitchen, I had the idea that these people also needed haircuts and it grew from there," he said.

Mr Ilic said that during Covid lockdowns the operation had to be put on hold and it has been a "struggle" to get the momentum going as volunteers had to focus on their own businesses.

Before the coronavirus pandemic he had a team of about 30 volunteers but now it is around 12.

"We are always looking for more volunteers to help expand the team.

"It can be tough to hear some of the stories from the guys when they sit in the chair, it's a space they feel like they can really open up - we probably hear more than some of their social workers.

"It always reminds me to try and be kind, that's something we can all do - it's easy to judge but we shouldn't," he added.

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