Barbers support clients to prevent male suicide
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week (May 13th to 19th), The Bluebeards Revenge is donating 50 pence from the sale of every pot of their new hair styling gel to The Lions Barber Collective, the charity which raises awareness and helps to prevent male suicides across the world.
What's more, the inside of the product's carton also carries branded messaging from the charity, signposting men to the Samaritans to seek additional support.
The Lions Barber Collective was set up by British barber Tom Chapman in 2016, with the aim of turning barbershops into safe spaces for men to start conversations about mental health. The group is having an enormous impact with men who traditional mental health services can struggle to reach.
As well as working with the Samaritans charity, professionally run training programmes are offered by the Lions Barber Collective to teach barbers to ‘recognise, talk, listen and advise' clients.
Barber Ken Hermes has become an Ambassador for the charity. He explains why:
“Losing my dad to suicide at 15 left an empty place in my heart. If only my dad could have spoken to someone about how he felt. Maybe he would still be here? I want to help educate others to spot the signs of need, and start the conversations that change lives. Working for a large barbering group means that I can pass this education to 100+ barbers and really make a difference in our communities.”
