Industry charity distributes over £60,000 during lockdown

The Hair & Beauty Charity has reported a staggering 78% increase in requests for financial support during the COVID-19 crisis.

With thousands of hair, beauty and barber salons closed and industry professionals unable to work for three months, there was a tremendous increase in requests for help from the industry charity during this crisis. Even though the charity has experienced a major loss of income with several of its fundraising activities and events being cancelled, it has been able to support beneficiaries through setting up a Relief Fund that has currently raised £30,000 during the crisis.

From April to June 2020, the charity saw a 78% increase in requests for help, and in the first month of lockdown the charity saw its monthly expenditure rise by 105%. The charity has distributed over £60,000 to beneficiaries during the crisis; an increase of 75% year on year. 

Samantha Grocutt, President of the Hair & Beauty Charity, explains:

“The stats speak for themselves; this time last year we were helping 94 beneficiaries but we're now helping 167 beneficiaries, which is a huge increase for a small charity, especially as fundraising is very hard to do during the crisis.  Although we expected some of the new beneficiaries to be short term, we are already seeing the need to extend the support, especially to those working in the beauty industry as they can't return to work yet.  It's a very worrying time.  It's been wonderful to see the support the charity is getting from the industry and we've been grateful to companies and people who have donated to our Relief Fund so far, but the crisis is still happening and we will continue to help our industry as we have for over 150 years.”