Andrew Carey
A LIMERICK barber is helping to cut suicide among young men as part of an initiative that has taken Ireland, Holland and the UK by storm.
Award winning barber, Pat Barry, is one of the co-founders of the Lions Barber Collective (LBC) which operates in Ireland, UK and Holland to support suicide awareness and prevention by encouraging young men to simply “talk to your barber”.
The initiative got under way when Pat joined forces with English barber Tom Chapman to promote the message that there is hope for young men who feel they are not coping with life.
The group is raising funds and working on a #BarberTalk training programme for barbershops and their employees to help detect clients who may self harm or have suicidal tendencies, so they can direct clients to the relevant support.
“Men often share confidences with their barbers that they would not discuss with their friends, families or partners. Some of my clients trust me with the problems or troubles they are having in their life,” said Pat.
“We are in a unique position to encourage our clients to seek help and help them find it.
The Collective have partnered with Pieta House in Ireland and Papyrus in the UK and their motto is; “Recognise, Listen, Talk and Advise”.
Speaking at his Gentry Barber shop in Ballycummin, Limerick ahead of a meeting with Pieta House and Papyrus, Pat said that the aim now is to “roll out our #BarberTalk Program and this is the first time we have two of the biggest organisations brought together.
“We have also been approached to do a documentary in the New Year, so things are really taking flight.”
Tom said that the collective’s theory is that by giving men an opportunity to talk and share their feelings they can be led away from suicidal thoughts.
“It is not seen as unusual for a woman to tell her stylist about the bad day she has had, a terrible boss at work or relationship troubles. Men, on the other hand, may feel they need to put a brave face on it, go for the laughs – or stay schtum.”
The LBC feel that men will speak to their barbers about things they wouldn’t tell anybody else.
“With this, comes the responsibility to remain confidential, provide a safe haven for clients and help them where necessary.
The LBC has had a wide range of supporters including Stephen Manderson (aka Professor Green) who lost his 43-year-old father when he was just 24.
“Other people go through what my dad did and they don’t kill themselves. He had no one to talk to, no one to help him”, Stephen said.
Pat added that “Talking about suicide does not make it more likely to happen but by breaking the taboo and allowing conversation, we could save a life.”
“We don’t intend to become counsellors. We just want to create an environment where we are more open to listening to those that need it most.
“It’s time to Man Up, and tackle this epidemic of suicide, we all have a social responsibility to help, after all, it could be our own son or daughters life that is saved” Pat explained.
So, why not talk to your barber?
For more, twitter: @thelionsbarbers or facebook.com/thelionsbarbercollective
