Four years ago Mitch Chalmers was left paralysed from the chest down after a motorcross accident. His dream was to become a hairdresser and after studying at Bath college he set about raising fund to help him buy a special stand-up wheelchair. Acrowdfunding campaign saw him raise some of the funds, and The Hairdresser’s Charity kindly donated the remaining money need to help make his dreams come true.
Former North Ireland Hairdresser of the Year, Sharon Malcolm of Sharon Malcolm Hairdressing, met Mitch at a Charity Luncheon and decided there was more she could do to help Mitch realise his full potential.
Sharon explains: “Mitch had limited experience of putting ‘hair up’, and after chatting to him, I decided that this is where I could help – educating and training Mitch with some basic skills on ‘hair up’ techniques.” So she flew over to Bristol and spent the day with Mitch, teaching him some basic techniques to build his confidence and encourage him to “add another string to his bow in this wonderful industry”.
Others were also on hand to help, with Patrick Cameron sending a Hair Up starter pack and DVD which allowed Mitch to create incredible styles without the use of rollers, wands or tongs – something Sharon described as an “impressive first attempt!”
Sharon now hopes Mitch will continue his dream career, saying “Mitch is an incredible young man and inspirational to us all in having the belief of fulfilling his dream of becoming a Hairdresser. We had a wonderful day and I hope to follow Mitch’s career as it goes from strength to strength.”
