A ROUND of applause is in order for an Inverkeithing barber shop that managed to raise £850 for a mental health charity at the weekend.

Boys and men of all ages stepped foot inside Divit Barbers on Saturday for a haircut for a good cause.

The shop offered free trims to everyone throughout the day in exchange for a donation to SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health).

It follows on from last year's fundraiser for Andy's Man Club in which they raised £1,700.

Kate McQuillan, from the barbers, told the Press that raising £850 for SAMH in the current climate was "absolutely incredible".

She said: "We really weren't sure how we would do this year given the pandemic but it's fantastic to have raised this much.

"We had some kids come in as young as four and we also had gentlemen in their seventies come in so we had all ages.

"Everyone that came in was so generous and some people handed over £30 or £40. It really was lovely.

"It was myself and Haley – who I'm very proud of for doing this – who were offering the haircuts for the 10 hours and the response we had was better than we were expecting I think.

"We wanted to do our bit to help. I didn't mind giving up a day of pay and neither did Haley.

"We have to stick together as a community right now as you can see and feel that people are struggling.

"This is when we really need to support each other. A lot of people will be stressed about their jobs right now and others will be looking for a job after being let go.

"And there's so many other reasons why people's mental health could be in a bad way right now, and that's why we need to unite as a community like this."

The £850 total was aided by raffle prizes gifted by local businesses and friends and it could yet rise with a local supermarket interested in matching it.

A sum of £300 from the day's fundraising will also go to another charity on the request of a local family.