An Ipswich hair salon has joined forces with a homemaking charity to give late Christmas presents to families in need.
Lisa Fryatt and her daughter, Hollie Beecroft, are the co-owners of Lewis hair salon in Dogs Head Street in Ipswich, and House of Hair in Montana Road in Kesgrave.
Throughout January, both salons will act as drop-off points for any unwanted toys, gifts or other items.
These will then be donated to the home transforming service, Dora Brown, which works to restore the homes of vulnerable families in Ipswich, Felixstowe and Woodbridge.
Miss Fryatt said she was inspired to support the charity after the success of her Ukraine appeal in March, with over 1,000 items donated to the salons.
“Just before Christmas, I was thinking that I would like to start working alongside a local charity to help other people who are not so fortunate,” explained Miss Fryatt, 50.
“Over the Christmas period, so many people have gone out and bought stuff they don’t need. I thought, why don’t we do something with that?”
A friend told her about Dora Brown, and she was inspired to help them with their “incredible work”.
Families struggling with poverty, mental health crises, disabilities or any other difficulties can be referred to Dora Brown.
A team of volunteers then work to give their home a ‘reset’.
Co-director of Dora Brown, Sacha Naylor, said that these donations will make a huge difference.
“There is such an incredible response from the children we work with, and you can also see the impact on their parents,” she said.
“There is so much pressure attached to making sure your kids have the stuff that other kids have, so this will have a big impact on parents as well.”
She said her team of volunteers will enjoy taking on a ‘Santa Claus’ role, distributing these late Christmas presents in February.
“Children are often hit the hardest," she said. "We do collect donations of teddies and toys, but often, they still have very little.”
Miss Fryatt said that donations for both adults and children are welcome.
Donations can be taken to either Lewis or House of Hair during opening hours in January.
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