Bolton barber encouraging men to get talking about mental health

A barber in Greater Manchester is trying to get men to talk about their mental health whilst they're getting their hair cut.

Craig Henderson who owns Craig's Barber Shop, in Bolton, lost one of his customers to suicide a few years ago, which got him thinking about how he could have helped.

He said: "I wanted to get all barbers, hairdressers and beauticians training in mental health, just general knowledge, just to say where to go, where to point them and just how to approach it."

He added that men feel comfortable talking to their barbers due to the intimate nature of the service they provide.

Craig Henderson wants to make sure his shop is a safe place to talk about mental health. Credit: ITV News

However, the petition he started in men's mental health week last year failed to gain enough signatures.

It was then that Craig was told about a group of barbers who are committed to training male hairdressers to spot the signs of mental health issues.

The Lion's Collective was set up by Tom Chapman, a barber from Devon, and now has barbershops across the UK as well as in the USA, Africa, Australia and Europe.

They want to reduce male suicide rates and believe that getting men talking is the first step in getting them to seek help.

  • Video report by Tim O'Callaghan

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