Stylist Daren Terry is pulling his hair out…or he will be if his much-loved clients don’t adhere to his advice on how to cope with their locks during the Covid-19 lockdown! But there is an upside to Daren’s frustration with Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice set to have their coffers boosted as a result.
Daren and his experienced Lotus Styling team are genially pleading with clients not to try to cut, style or colour their own hair during his Bognor Regis salon shut-down — and the firm has pledged to donate money to charity if they steer clear of the temptation.
The multi award-winning salon closed its doors last week in line with the government advice to businesses and the general public as the nation tries to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
And Daren, who runs the Aldwick Road salon with wife Kate, says he understands that the frustration of the prospect of unkempt tresses may lead clients to try some DIY styling. But he cheerily argues it is a terrible idea — and to prove it he wants to donate to charity if they leave well alone.
He said:
“We have spent hours creating magnificent hair for our loyal clients and the last thing we want is for them to — in the kindest possible way — ruin their hair! Just leave it be until you’re back in the salon, it’ll be fine.
“We’re so proud of our work we want to be able to continue it when the pandemic is over and we are open again for business and so we’re urging everyone to leave well alone for the time being. Many of our clients have been with us for 25 years or more and they know we know their hair so very well. For every one of our many hundreds of clients who resist the urge to cut their hair we’ll donate a pound to the charity. It could boost the coffers significantly!
“Yes, of course there is a really serious side to all of this and that is that the nation’s well-being must be preserved and we understand fully that we must comply with government guidelines to shut the salon.
“But, sadly it is a fact that charities will suffer as a consequence of the coronavirus with hospices especially hit in terms of fundraising. The Chestnut high street shops have had to close so and people are tightening their belts across the board so donations are down. The hospice fundraisers have to raise £6,850 to pay for the costs of care for just one day. Families are never charged for their care and less than 6p in every pound is funded by the government, so they really do need every penny.”