A homeless man got an incredible Christmas present when he was given a free styling session by a men’s grooming brand, which helped him secure a job.

James McKinnon’s life was derailed when his father was murdered three years ago.

The 22-year-old moved from Norfolk to Leicester for a fresh start and to look for work, as he thought there would be more opportunities in a bigger city. But he struggled to find employment and soon became homeless.

″There’s a lot of stigmatism behind people being homeless,” said McKinnon. “So when people see me they instantly think ‘drug addict’. They instantly think ‘he’s done wrong choices in his life’.”

McKinnon said the opportunity to get a haircut and a beard-trim “enhanced” his position as a job seeker and helped get him “suitable” to be in a work environment.

Leicester-based male grooming brand Mo Bros prepared McKinnon for a job by helping him with his CV and communication skills, as well as styling him for free at their own barber shop.

After the styling session, McKinnon was able to secure an interview and now has a job with Everyman Barbers.

This is all part of Mo Bros’ ‘Behind the Beard’ initiative, which helps homeless and vulnerable people with free grooming and career advice.

“People like James are the reason we run the Behind the Beard project,” said Keval Dattani, co-founder of Mo Bros.

“It’s important to us that we can give back to our community in some way, and spending the day with James, watching him enjoy some well-deserved pampering and then helping him secure a trial shift with Everyman Barbers has been hugely rewarding for us.”