ADVENTURES OF AN ALTRUISTIC HAIRDRESSER

From working at the BAFTAs to working in a salon/van conversion, Suzi Nimmo shares her inspirational journey travelling across Ayrshire giving free haircuts to vulnerable communities

“I GET SO MUCH FROM GIVING TO PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED, I FEEL VERY LUCKY.”

Suzi Nimmo’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 a recently launched charity called Cut and Connect.

Working from a van which has undergone a glow up transformation to include two chairs, a washing station and a barista machine, Cut and Connect travel around Ayrshire offering free hairdressing services to vulnerable communities. 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. At the moment, Suzi is the only hairdresser. “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 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, I feel very lucky.”

Talking us through her 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 the 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 off with Cut and Connect makes you realise that there’s such a need for it.”