Look Well, Feel Swell campaign supports King's Lynn homeless charity
A gentleman's grooming company has launched a new 'Look Well, Feel Swell' campaign to support a Lynn homeless charity with personal hygiene products.
Captain Fawcett Ltd, The Gentleman's Grooming Company, launched the campaign after company founder, Richie Finney's own experiences of sleeping rough.
He said: "From personal experience in my somewhat wild youth, I know what it’s like to sleep rough and travel without a known destination. Even with a roof over one’s head, falling on hard times means people may well be making the choice between eating and personal hygiene.
"On a wafer-thin budget even a toothbrush becomes a luxury and then self-esteem and mental health really take a hit. Kids are reluctant to go to school, social relationships suffer, it’s hard to just get up and leave the house.
"How one looks can makes all the difference to how one feels, to one’s ability to put one’s best foot forward and face the day."
The campaign aims to collect personal hygiene products from fellow manufacturers and to donate them to the Purfleet Trust, who will distribute the products to members of the community who are homeless or struggling financially.
Cate McKay-Haynes, who works at Captain Fawcett, teamed up with Richie to help a cause close to both of their hearts. Cate was friends with a homeless man, Jake, in London.
She said: "Jake’s most treasured possessions were his comb and toothbrush. For him neat hair and clean teeth were the difference between living rough and feeling like a gentleman of the road.
"His toothbrush was a talisman showing he hadn’t lost his capacity to hope. It makes you realise an everyday item most of us take for granted is actually pretty profound.
"Redundancy, illness, addiction - all this can happen to anyone so we want to lend a hand to someone who’s down on their luck."
Pre-pandemic Richie travelled extensively across the globe, collecting items such as miniature shampoos and soaps from trade fairs, planes and hotels which he regularly donated to The Purfleet Trust.
Captain Fawcett, which is based at Hardwick Narrows, also donates products with damaged packaging which reduces waste and supports a good cause.
Last week the team delivered four crates of personal hygiene products to the Purfleet Trust and now they plan to make it an ongoing campaign.
Captain Fawcett are welcoming any donations of shampoo, shaving cream, razors, toothpaste, deodorant or unused surplus items for both men and women at their base in Friesian Way.
