A barber from Weymouth has been made an ambassador for men’s mental health.

Stacey Ayles, aged 26, owner of Loch and Key Barber Company, has been named as an ambassador of the Lions Barber Collective.

The Lions Barber Collective is a charity founded by Tom Chapman, which raises awareness of mental health in men.

The charity has saved the lives of men by preventing suicide and offering support to both clients and barbers alike.

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, which is why the charity is in the process of developing BarberTalk training to equip barbers with the tools to listen recognise and signpost their clients and provide safe spaces for men to open up and offload.

Stacey Ayles said: “Being an ambassador gives me an opportunity to spread awareness even further by hosting events which will involve not only barbers, but men that seek help. I have huge plans to grow The Lions Barber Collective, and am hopeful that our community can join me in this positive movement”

She added: “As a barber I’ve always been incredibly lucky in the sense that my clients trust me. They trust me enough to cut their hair, therefore they trust me as someone they can confide in. The Lions have an online programme called ‘BarberTalk lite’ which is a very helpful questionnaire to guide a barber through any problems that they may spot with their client, and also to help point them in the right direction.”

With a hugely growing demand for The Lions Barber Collective, and worldwide media success, Mr Chapman and his colleagues began to look for ambassadors that would help grow awareness and support with fundraising.

The list of ambassadors includes both well-known industry names and barbers who may have not been in the media before, but have an affiliation with The Lions. All of the ambassadors have been impacted by mental health throughout their lives and are eagerly excited to begin 2019 as official ambassadors.

Mr Chapman said: “The growth we have experience in the past 12 months has been astonishing. The passion and drive from the industry has really blown me away, barbers have realised how privileged we are and how important our role is within our communities. The barbers who have joined the pride as our first ambassadors have either shown outstanding support, had personal experience with mental health/ suicide and given a lot of time and energy to the cause already. I want to recognise that hard work and it is a huge pleasure to have them on board making us even stronger as we stride into 2019, our most exciting year yet! If you want to be part of the pride you can head to our website and complete the BarberTalk Lite for free to get your certificate and placement on our Lion’s map.’