Cardiff and Vale UHB teams up with Lions Barbers Collective and Cardiff City FC Community Foundation

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board teamed up with the Lions Barbers Collective and Cardiff City FC Community Foundation to run pop-up barber shops to encourage people to talk about mental health.

The Lions Barbers Collective, a mental health charity which works to prevent suicide, set-up a pop-up barber shop at the Cardiff City v West Bromwich Albion game on Wednesday, 16th March and gave dozens of fans free haircuts to raise awareness of suicide prevention.

The Health Board received funding from Welsh Government to address the risk of suicide in men and was delighted to bring the Lions Barbers Collective to Cardiff in partnership with Cardiff City FC Community Foundation.

The Lions Barbers Collective was founded in 2015 by Tom Chapman after he lost a friend to suicide and is made up of a group of international barbers who raise awareness for suicide prevention along with campaigning for the awareness of mental wellbeing. Tom and his team — known as his Pride — travel the world to train hair professionals in how to recognise symptoms of mental ill health in clients and signpost them to relevant support services.

Speaking at the pop-up barber shop at Cardiff City Stadium, Tom said: “The Lions Barber Collective has a vision for world that is free from suicide and our mission is to create non-clinical and non-judgemental safe spaces were people feel comfortable to talk about mental health and signpost people to support and information.

“We educate barbers on how to have those conversations about mental health safety and we raise awareness of suicide prevention through pop-up barber shops in different places like the Cardiff City Stadium where men feel able to express their emotions.

“At football stadiums we’re allowed to cry and hug and shout and that level of intimacy and ability to share emotions is quite rare, especially for men. We know that if we can get into these spaces and offer free haircuts we can engage with more people and start conversations about mental health and wellbeing.”

Three quarters of people who die by suicide are not known to mental health services and barber shops can be a great safe space for men to talk. The Lions Barbers Collective use their pop-up barber shops as a way to engage with the public and promote positive mental health.

Cardiff City fan Joel Fowler-Williamson said: “Talking about mental health does take confidence because there is a lot of stigma around it but this pop-up barber shop totally removes that stigma.

“I have some of my best conversations with my barber and we chat about anything and everything and it’s a perfect place to open up. Football is great for bringing people and cultures together too.”

Speaking during his haircut, Nizar added: “This is such an amazing experience because for men, the one place they open up is at the barber shop. You go in and you meet people like yourself and you can talk about anything and everything.

“I think having these pop-up barber shops in different places will encourage more men to open up.”

Earlier in the day, Tom and his team visited House of Sport and met Cardiff City FC Community Foundation students who are working towards gaining their BTEC qualifications. Their pop-up barber shop provided a unique opportunity to engage with young people and encourage them to speak out if they are struggling.

The Lions Barbers Collective also ran a training workshop with Cardiff City FC Community Foundation staff so they are better equipped to recognise signs that someone might be struggling with their mental health and support the young people they work with.

Consultant Nurse Jayne Bell, who supported in organising the events, said: "As a CCFC season ticket holder of 20 years and having worked as a mental health nurse in Cardiff for 34 years, I am very proud to bring CCFC, the Health Board and the Lions Barber Collective together.

“I know the transformational work the Foundation does in our communities and I am excited to see Tom and his Pride bring their compassionate approach to Cardiff".

Dan Crossland, Director of Operations for Mental Health at the Health Board, said: "Having the first conversation about mental health can be challenging and what better way than to build the skills to listen, empathise and ask the right questions into daily interactions with barbers.

“I want to extend my thanks to all involved, not least the barbers who will no doubt be improving and saving lives for those people in need."

Rachel Gidman, Executive Director of People and Culture, Fiona Kinghorn, Executive Director of Public Health, and Professor Ceri Phillips, Vice-Chair, joined the workshops and spoke with some of the students and staff members.

Rachel Gidman said: “Working in partnership with Cardiff City FC Community Foundation provides a unique opportunity to engage with young people and communities across Cardiff. We know that Cardiff City FC has a passionate and diverse community and that sport has the ability to bring people together. 

“I am passionate about leading the people and culture agenda to make real differences in healthcare and I am delighted the Health Board has been able to support the Lions Barbers Collective in raising awareness of suicide prevention. “

Fiona Kinghorn added: “It was fantastic to work in collaboration with Cardiff City FC Community Foundation and The Lions Barbers Collective to help raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention. It was brilliant to also have the opportunity to speak with some of the students about how initiatives like this will encourage more young people to reach out for support if they are struggling with their mental health. 

“The Health Board and the Cardiff City FC Community Foundation share the same determination to tackle inequalities and initiatives like the pop-up barber shops are a brilliant way for us to do this. We identified a range of other areas that we could work collectively together on.”

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health, help and support is available. Information on local organisations can be found here.

The Samaritans can be reached 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can reach them by calling 116 123, by emailing jo@samaritans.org or by visiting www.samaritans.org.