LONDON -- A hairdresser in Exeter is raising awareness about homelessness by giving free haircuts in his spare time.
Joshua Coombes, 28, spends his days at a salon in Queen Street in the city before heading out to offer the cuts with his photographer friend Matt Spracklen.
He's documenting the cuts on Instagram and using the hashtag #dosomethingfornothing to encourage others to do similar acts.
"Giving haircuts is such a small thing," Coombes, who's been a hairdresser for four years, told Exeter's Express and Echo paper. "It is just me going up to someone having a chat and cutting their hair; they really appreciate the gesture."
All round great day for #somethingfornothing today, thanks for all support pic.twitter.com/UnG886iI1k— Joshua Coombes (@joshuaacoombes) November 12, 2015
The two men have visited several cities in Devon and are headed to Yeovil in Somerset next.
Coombes shares some of their stories with pictures of them before and after a cut. Here are a few of his clients.
#dosomethingfornothing in Exeter this week. When cutting hair on the street you have to find anything you can to help you and make your client feel more comfortable. Luckily we found this chair nearby for John to sit on. He was really happy for me to cut his hair as he tries to keep it looking sharp whenever he can afford it, saying to me 'homeless or not I still want to feel good about myself' by @mattspracklen #dosomethingfornothing #exeter #streets #exeterliving #exetercathedral #hair #menshair #malegrooming #haircut #hairdressing #homeless #barbering #vsco #vscocam #fuji #fujifilm A photo posted by • Hairdresser • Musician • UK (@joshuacoombes) on Nov 11, 2015 at 11:13am PST
This is Sherrie, 27. It was an absolute joy to cut her hair. She spent her first nights on the street as a young teenager and has been homeless or in temporary housing ever since. There's one relative she still sees but strained relationships with family members make it difficult. Whatever past events/reasons add up to somebody being in this situation surely doesn't warrant them sleeping outside for the duration of their adult life so far. So nice to meet her and her beautiful dog. by @mattspracklen #dosomethingfornothing #hairdressing #haircut #hairdressing #bath #somerset #fuji #fujifilm #vsco #vscocam #x100s A photo posted by • Hairdresser • Musician • UK (@joshuacoombes) on Nov 4, 2015 at 10:14am PST
The last time Sherrie had her haircut was by a friend 6 months ago with kitchen scissors. Naturally it had a lot of imbalance so we decided to go for a shorter shape to tidy things up, undercutting back section for more longevity as the haircut grows out. Her wonderful dog stood by her side the whole time. by @mattspracklen #dosomethingfornothing #hair #haircut #hairdressing #bath #somerset #somersethour #street #streetphotography #fujifilm #vscocam #x100s #mansbestfriend A photo posted by • Hairdresser • Musician • UK (@joshuacoombes) on Nov 5, 2015 at 1:27pm PST
Before and After of Darak. I enjoy talking to this guy so much. After seeing him around the city and getting to know him more it was great to finally get the chance to cut his hair. It nearly happened once in the past but he let others in need of a haircut go first. His generous nature and huge heart makes it harder when I see him going through a rough patch. Always a smile any time any place, massive respect for you brother by @mattspracklen #dosomethingfornothing #exeter #hair #hairdressing #menshair #malegrooming #haircut #barbering #street #homeless #expressandecho #vscocam #fujifilm A photo posted by • Hairdresser • Musician • UK (@joshuacoombes) on Nov 12, 2015 at 11:15am PST
Andy has been homeless since young adulthood so the streets are his home and all he knows now. His haircuts are seldom due to obvious financial reasons so we decided to take it nice and clean to last him through until next season. It was great to spend some time with this man listening to his stories while I cut his hair. There's so much we can learn from the faces most of us pass by without a second look. by @mattspracklen #dosomethingfornothing in #exeter #streets #exeterliving #hair #menshair #malegrooming #haircut #homeless #barbering #vsco #vscocam #fuji #fujifilm #letthegoodtimesroll A photo posted by • Hairdresser • Musician • UK (@joshuacoombes) on Nov 10, 2015 at 12:28pm PST
Not having a bed for most of the year is normal for some people. Ignoring it is easy, we're all guilty of that sometimes. Acknowledging it is the first step to empathy. It's impossible to change someone's past and difficult to change someone's present situation but the future is unwritten.. #dosomethingfornothing #BeAwesomeToSomebody #thefutureisunwritten #hair #haircut #menshair #exeter #exeterliving A photo posted by • Hairdresser • Musician • UK (@joshuacoombes) on Oct 23, 2015 at 11:19am PDT
Matt Spracklen has more photos on Instagram.