Helping Hands

Helping Hands at the Skins & Needles Academy

HAIRCUTS ON HAND FOR THE HOMELESS AND THOSE IN NEED

Middlesbrough’s Helping Hands are offering free haircuts and other support to those who find themselves homeless or in need.

The event takes place at the Skins & Needles Academy on Linthorpe Road on the last Sunday of every month.

Those who attend are offered a free haircut, hot drinks, food, and advice services. There is also a clothing bank on site for those who need it.

Michael Harvey, from Helping Hands, said: “The haircuts are a great way to break the ice and people really appreciate them, but it’s about a lot more than that.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to talk, and seek the help and support they need in a friendly, non-threatening environment.

“They might just want a haircut or a bite to eat, but they can also talk to drug and alcohol counsellors, housing officials, and people who can help them with their finances.

“By opening our doors like this we can make a real difference.”

Ngozi Sylvia Ochuba, from Stronger Communities Middlesbrough, attended the event on Sunday (September 26) and was impressed with the level of support on offer.

She was very impressed with the skills of the barbers, the care and attention given to participants,

and how rewarding Michael from Middlesbrough’s Helping Hands, Leah and Dave from Skins & Needles, Tom, another barber, and others, felt the work they were doing was.

Dave had brought along his young son, Charlie, who assisted with cleaning up and even tried his hands at a bit of barbering.

Ngozi said: “This is a good way of teaching children the act of community service and giving back “

Free haircuts are also available at the Academy every day of the week for people in need.

Through offering these, it became apparent that there was a need not just for haircuts, but also for other support and advice services, including the opportunity for vulnerable people to have an easy way to get in touch with the council and other services.

Jolande Mace, Middlesbrough Council’s Strategic Cohesion and Migration Manager, said: “This is

the second time that this event has taken place and we look forward to supporting future events.

“The dedication of Middlesbrough’s Helping Hands and the Skins & Needles Academy in particular is fantastic and it provides some of the most vulnerable people in our community with a lifeline and access to support.”

The next events will take place on Sunday, October 31 and Sunday, November 28. Work has also started on organising a Christmas Special, details to follow.

ROMESH RANGANATHAN COMES TO THE CITY HALL FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2019 WITH A BRAND NEW SHOW TICKETS ON SALE 10AM FRIDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2018

Romesh Ranganathan is back with a brand-new show, The Cynic’s Mixtape, and it’s his most brutally honest show yet.

Fresh from The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, A League Of Their Own and Judge Romesh, he’s putting showbiz aside to deliver a carefully-curated selection of all the things he has found unacceptable since his last tour, including why trying to save the environment is a scam, why none of us are truly free, and his suspicion that his wife is using gluten intolerance to avoid sleeping with him.

Romesh’s cynicism has become his trademark, but since being nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2013 Edinburgh Comedy Awards this deadpan humour has become one of Britain’s most respected and popular comics. Now, though, it’s time for the Asian Provocateur to return to his stand-up roots for a while – there’s things he needs to point out, discuss and have a good moan about. Care to join him?

Show drops 2019, don’t miss it.

Tickets for Romesh Ranganathan are on sale Fri 28 Sep from 10am and are £26.50. Tickets can be purchased online at www. theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge)