Barbers from across Warrington have completed specialist training to help support men’s mental health and encourage more people to access help when they need it.
Warrington Borough Council’s Public Health team has delivered ‘Making Every Contact Count’ (MECC) for Mental Health training to a group of local barbers in a session supported by community organisation ‘More than Men’. The training helps people use everyday conversations to support wellbeing and signpost others to appropriate help.
For many people, a visit to the barbers provides a relaxed and trusted environment where they feel comfortable opening up and talking about their life. This training aims to equip barbers with the skills and confidence to recognise when someone may be struggling, start supportive conversations and help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. It also encourages more men to seek help at an earlier stage.
Participants gained practical tools to have these conversations safely and effectively, while increasing their awareness of local support services. The training also strengthened their ability to signpost individuals to appropriate help such as local mental health groups that offer peer support and opportunities to improve wellbeing.
Men are often less likely to seek help for their mental health and may turn first to people they know and trust. By equipping local barbers with the skills they need, the initiative aims to make support more visible and accessible in everyday community settings.
More than Men helped organise and deliver the session and will continue working with the council’s public health team on men’s mental health and wellbeing initiatives. The session is part of the wider ‘Ballers and Barbers’ campaign, which will run over the coming months. Combining community sport, wellbeing activities and informal conversations, the initiative aims to help men connect with others in comfortable, familiar settings.
The first Ballers and Barbers event will take place on Sunday 6 September at Whitecross Community Centre, featuring a community football tournament open to residents across Warrington.
Alongside the football tournament, attendees will be able to receive a free haircut from barbers who have completed the Making Every Contact Count (MECC) for Mental Health training. The event will showcase Warrington’s first cohort of MECC-trained barbers, highlighting the important role they can play in supporting mental wellbeing and demonstrating how everyday conversations can help people get help before problems escalate.
For more information, visit the More Than Men – Help, Inspire, Grow Facebook page, visit the website, or email morethanmen23@gmail.com.
Ian Webb, co-founder of More Than Men said: “At More Than Men, we believe prevention starts long before someone reaches crisis point. Ballers and Barbers is about creating everyday opportunities for genuine conversations. If one chat in a barber’s chair or around a football pitch gives someone the confidence to open up, then we’ve already made a difference.
“We’re giving Warrington businesses the opportunity to undertake face-to-face training and receive visual materials, such as stickers and signs, to show they are part of the initiative. The training equips them with the confidence to have conversations and signpost people to organisations like More Than Men and other groups across Warrington.”
Fellow co-founder Nathan Savage said: “By doing this, we hope people can see that everyone has a role to play in creating positive change. It strengthens community connections, encourages the right conversations, and helps people access support before they reach crisis point.
“MECC training is free and takes around four hours to complete. By taking part, businesses can help strengthen mental health support across Warrington. The more help and guidance available within our communities, the more opportunities there are to encourage conversations, connect people with groups that could benefit them in the long term and improve wellbeing across the borough.”
Every haircut starts with a conversation, and every football match builds connection. Ballers and Barbers brings together these two powerful community spaces to encourage open discussions around mental health and remind men that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
The event is open to both businesses and members of the public, offering an opportunity to see the initiative in action. Businesses will have the opportunity to sign up for free MECC training, explore a marketplace featuring local organisations and community groups, network with partners from across Warrington, and access resources to help support mental wellbeing conversations in their workplaces and communities.
By bringing together local organisations, barbers, businesses, community groups and residents, the campaign aims to encourage more open conversations about mental health, tackle stigma and ensure support is visible, accessible, and embedded within everyday community settings across Warrington.
Cllr Tony Higgins, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, said: ” Good mental health is an important part of living well, and we know that people are often more likely to open up in places where they feel comfortable. Barbers are trusted members of their communities and often build strong relationships with the people they see regularly.
“This is a fantastic imitative which is creating more opportunities for early support within our communities. It’s prevention in action and an important part of improving wellbeing across Warrington.”
