A Chatham hairdresser has been offering free haircuts today in Medway ahead of the school term.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
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00:00With around 30 years of experience under her belt, Sarah A. O'Mickey is used to cutting hair.
00:07But with the end of the school holidays fast approaching, today Sarah has turned her attention to cutting back on the cost for carers and parents struggling with prices in Medway.
00:20There's too many people just taking at the moment, I think, and we don't have bottomless pockets.
00:28So if you have an opportunity to be able to do something, however big or small that is, remembering what it's like to be able to afford everything going back to school,
00:40obviously I can do that here myself, but all the rest of it, buying PE kits and new uniforms and everything that goes with it.
00:49So I just thought if I can alleviate a little bit of pressure, I can do a few haircuts.
00:55Throughout the day, Sarah's been offering free haircuts to children with special educational needs and those whose parents are struggling to make ends meet just before the return back to school.
01:07And with more sessions opening up next Tuesday, she's not done just yet.
01:14So I opened this first session to the people of Club Awesome, which is a local charity you may have heard of for kids on the spectrum.
01:23So their main struggle is just finding a salon that's peaceful enough for their kids to feel comfortable and come in.
01:30So we haven't really had much conversations around the costs of everything.
01:35They've just been grateful that their kids have been happy enough to just sit and get the haircut.
01:40The Rochester-based organisation says with such skyrocketing prices and additional costs for children with special needs, every little helps.
01:51You know, you've got the uniform cost, specific uniform. It is always more expensive when you're catering for a child with special sensory needs.
01:59You know, you have to get the seamless socks and they charge a fortune for those.
02:03We can't just pop down to Primark, you know, and grab anything.
02:07So the fact that we can lessen the burden a little bit, you know, between us and do something nice, I think it can only help.
02:18It can only be a positive thing.
02:21Sarah is now considering whether to keep the scheme going for future holidays.
02:26And while she may not be able to brush away the full burden of the cost of living crisis for families here today, for some the difference will feel clear cut.
02:35Oliver, leader of the Sats for KNTV in Medway.