A part-time barber is travelling across London to cut the hair of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Steven Bakare, 41, who works full-time as an estate agent, journeys across the capital to reach kids who cannot reach him.
He’d cut friends and family members’ hair as a hobby since school but took his passion on the road after Covid hit.
Steven said: “When we were able to get some time to go out, I was able to go to friends and family and deliver the service I was passionate about.”
His focus on SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) kids came when he met a client’s child with special needs and realised that the patience he had with children in general was transferable to those with special needs and disabilities.
Although the opportunity was for anyone who needed the service, the huge uptake from SEND kids revealed a gap in the market that Steven was eager to fill.
He said: “There was a genuine need for kids who can’t really cope with an environment they’re not familiar with.”
This is reinforced by the stigma he perceives SEND kids face in public spaces based on his experience working in a barbershop and the conversations he had with clients’ parents.
The shops they visited would often turn them down, tell them to let the hair grow or suggest the parent cut it themselves.
Steven said: “It made it seem like they weren’t part of the public which I didn’t like at all.
“That was one of the things that that touched me. I wanted to make sure that they’re not alone.”
His commitment is reflected in his tailored service where he likes to let the kids hold the vibrating clippers and pretend to cut his hair, despite not having any.
In a written testimonial to Steven, one grateful parent said: “I appreciate you being mindful about [my son’s] hypersensitivity to strong scents and using soft bristles to ensure he was comfortable at all times.”
Steven’s business relies on word of mouth which took him from his corner of south London to now even places like Essex and Guildford.
Balancing mobile barbering with his full-time job requires diary management and a lot of understanding from his family, but he manages as he sees it as “God’s work”.
As for cutting hair full-time, it’s something he’s thinking about but with no concrete plans yet.
Steven said: “It’s something I’m looking into…how I can do God’s work in terms of loving your neighbour and just helping out as much as I can.”
Featured image credit: Shola Usman
Join the discussion