Community-minded team members at a Poole firm have rounded off a month of dedicated support for men living with homelessness in the town. 

Colleagues at property finance lender MSP Capital chose to devote ‘Movember’ to helping the charities Routes to Roots and Dorset Mind.

Working from the Genesis Day Centre in Hill Street, Routes to Roots provides hot food, clothing, showers and other essentials to those in need.

MSP Capital’s Movember input has enabled male service users to receive professional haircuts and beard trims, helping with their hygiene, self-esteem and confidence.

Support coordinated through the firm’s Community Committee began with an in-house collection box for staff to drop off donations of men’s toiletries including face and body washes, soaps and shampoos.

The committee then paid for Pro Style Barbers to spend a morning at Routes to Roots cutting hair and beards and donated £150 to Dorset Mind to go towards men’s mental health services.

Eleanor Collins, MSP Capital Brand Executive and community committee member, said:

“For Movember this year we wanted to focus our attention on restoring some confidence to men living with homelessness through access to personal care.

“We have helped Routes to Roots before with donations of cash, food, clothing and other items and we know the great work they do in our region.”

Ben Sargent, Genesis Centre Manager, said after the Pro Style morning:

“For individuals who are homeless, the ability to get their hair cut has a huge impact on self-esteem and in turn self-worth.

“This coupled with the opportunity to shower and wash their clothes at the Genesis Centre meant we had a group of guys who left here feeling like a million dollars.

“I cannot stress how important this is in enabling people to deal with the daily challenges they face. 

“I am so grateful to MSP Capital for allowing us to provide this service as well as the ongoing generosity they have shown in providing us with numerous donations both financially and in the essential items needed by our community.”

Movember is an annual event traditionally involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues.

Mental health, suicide prevention and tackling cancers such as prostate and testicular are among the causes that Movember fundraising supports.

For more information on Routes to Roots, visit https://www.routestoroots.org/charity/.