Wahl x Lister Pop-Up Barbershop at The Royal Highland Show

Lister has teamed up with parent company Wahl to create a pop-up barbershop at The Royal Highland Show to help raise awareness around mental health in agriculture. Part of its 'Take a Load Off' initiative, it will provide a safe space to pop your feet up, offload, and have a chat.

Mental health in the agricultural industry is something that doesn’t get talked about enough. With 92% of UK farmers under the age of 40 ranking their mental health as being poor, it is a hidden problem that we need to talk about. The pop-up barbershop will be open from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 near the Shearing Pavilion at The Royal Highland Show. Providing visitors with the opportunity to get a fresh hair cut by a professional barber, the campaign will be raising money for The DPJ Foundation and the RSABI, both mental health charities within the agricultural industry.

Attracting over 190,000 visitors each year, this year’s Royal Highland Show will be hosting the Shearing World Championships, seeing shearers and enthusiasts travelling from all around the world to support the competition. Creating this space at the event is crucial for those who may want to take a moment to relax and just chat in a safe space.

Martin Booth, Head of Sales and Commercial at Lister, said: "Partnering up with Wahl and offering a service, such as barbering, that can sometimes be difficult to arrange when travelling and working long hours is an important step in our mission to supporting mental health within agriculture. It is vital to raise awareness on this issue the industry is facing and ensure individuals who work in the rural community get access to the support and resources available.”

Lloyd Rees, shearer and Lister Ambassador, said: “Many people working in farming and agriculture often feel isolated and distanced from the wider communities. This can have a big impact on their mental health, and without the proper resources and support to hand, can often spiral into something bigger."

Kate Miles, Charity Manager of the DPJ Foundation, said: “We are really pleased and grateful that Lister have taken the lead with the Take a Load Off initiative to provide an opportunity to promote good mental health in agriculture, the power of taking time and talking. The eyes of the shearing world will be on the Golden Shears so it’s a brilliant chance to raise awareness.”

The barbering industry has tremendous power to bring about positive change when it comes to mental health, and here, one barber shares how he transformed his business to do just that.