When I first came to London in 2007 in my twenties and needed a haircut, I visited a local barber shop where a guy named Ram, just a few years older than me, gave me a great haircut: at the time he worked as a barber assistant on a fixed hourly wage.

As I kept coming back and got talking to him, I gradually learned that he comes from Mauritius and his dream was to (one day) run his own barber shop. A few years later, he made that dream of his come true, when he rented a small space near Chancery Lane and started running his own shop: this was some time around 2013. At first, Ram run the shop by himself, but as his good reputation spread, his customer base grew and by 2015, he employed three other barbers.

As the years went by, and I kept going back to Ram to get haircuts, I learned that Ram got married, had two children, got a mortgage, etc.

The recent pandemic has been a huge challenge for Ram: long story cut short, even with a 6 month holiday on his mortgage, and all other help he could get, he ended up having to sell his apartment, he is 4 months behind on his barber shop rent, and when I saw him today - although he still had his typical smile on him - with sadness and urgency he mentioned that with the current rate of customers, he will be out of business within two months. His wife is at home looking after their two children, one of which has heavy autism: the child's condition doesn't allow Ram's wife to be in employment, Ram himself works 6 to 7 days per week.

I would like to do anything I can to help Ram get through these tough times:

Firstly, if you need a great gentleman haircut, please visit his shop (Grays Inn Barbers, located at 47 Grays Inn Road, 5 mins walk from Chancery Lane station) Ram really is good at what he does.

Secondly, please recommend his shop to friends, particularly if they live in the area. On Google, Ram's shop is rated 4.7 stars out of 5, by 310 reviewers: it's really not a bad place to get a haircut :).

Thirdly, I know that Ram will appreciate any help he can get: if you can make a contribution, no matter how small, please do: every single pound will help.

Thank you so much,