COOL , CALM, COLLECTIVE

SIAN JONES SPEAKS TO TOM CHAPMAN TO FIND OUT HIS NEW PROJECT AND WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE LIONS BARBER COLLECTIVE

In 2015, Tom Chapman founded The Lions Barber Collective, a charity dedicated to providing safe spaces for people to open up about their mental health struggles. However, after facing financial difficulties, the charity was forced to close in 2024.

“We had a trustee board that made the decision. It was devastating because it’s something I’d spent the last 10 years building,” shares Tom. So, what was his next move? “I spent the past year rebuilding and planning my next steps. I started a new training company called HereToTalk, but I wanted to keep The Lions Barber Collective going, so it’s now partnered with HereToTalk training. My goal is to return to the original essence of the collective and better support the industry.”

Tom tells us he’s working alongside clinical psychologists in the NHS to understand the supervision needed. “Barbers speak to dozens of people a day, but who do they talk to? Where’s their support? In my eyes, it’s about preparing the next generation. We have these conversations behind the chair whether we like it or not. I remember being an 18-year-old, suddenly hearing clients open up about menopause, miscarriage, affairs, or divorce—and I wasn’t prepared for that.”

Tom aims to take his findings to the Government and advocate for mental health support as part of the curriculum. “The main reason this hasn’t happened yet is the lack of evidence and research. We’re working with Liverpool University to analyse databases and cross-reference past studies, but there’s little to no research in this space. To create real change, we need evidence.”

You don’t have to go far in the industry to meet someone who has either volunteered for or benefitted from The Lions Barber Collective. “We’ve had so much support, it blows my mind to think that from just a little idea, we’ve had a positive impact on so many people. We still get messages - I had one recently from someone saying they probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for what we do,” he reflects.

Tom discusses the changes he’d still like to see: “People open up to us about their lives, and that can take a toll. It doesn’t always mean clinically diagnosed mental health issues but it’s still heavy. We’re therapists, aren’t we? It’s important to recognise the value of that skill and to prioritise our wellbeing.”

The key message is that it’s okay to talk - Tom is however keen to highlight the difference between gossip and offloading. “People fear being seen as a gossip, but there’s a big difference between saying, ‘Oh, you’ll never guess who so-and-so is seeing’ and ‘I had someone in my chair today and it got quite heavy.’ We talk all day, and it can be exhausting. Samaritans have to offload before they finish their shift. But who do barbers talk to?”

When the collective launched, the conversation around mental health was in a different place. NHS England had just introduced a taskforce to improve mental health outcomes, and social media was far less influential than it is today. “Mental health awareness is massive now—everybody knows about it. But how many people truly understand it? A lot of brands talk about it but the deeper understanding still isn’t there.”

Reflecting on the closure of the charity, Tom knew instantly he wanted to continue. “I wanted to keep advocating for support and to prepare the next generation. I wasn’t going to let it end. It’s my mission. I was wisely advised long ago to copyright The Lions Barber Collective so I could continue it if anything ever happened. That was probably one of the best decisions I made.”