Looking after men is a fundamental part of our DNA
We are thrilled to announce that we are collaborating with mental health charity, CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably). Our aim is to help change the culture and stigma associated with discussing men’s mental health and help combat male suicide. By partnering with CALM we want to assist their incredible work in keeping men alive.#MoreThanABarber
This collaboration resonates so strongly with our barbers because the authentic relationship between a barber and his customer is built on personal service, expertise, loyalty and trust. Our barbers care about the clients they see every day beyond just the service at hand, extending way beyond the barber’s chair. And while our barbershops allow men to relax and leave feeling more confident than when they arrived, we know there is so much work to be done to help raise more awareness and support around men’s mental health and suicide. With 12 lives lost every day, suicide remains the biggest killer of men under the-age-of 45 in the UK. Research from CALM has revealed that 84% of men bottle up their emotions, and are much less likely than women to consult a friend or family member if they are going through a tough time, let alone reach out to a trained professional. Our experience tells us that so many men feel more comfortable opening up to someone in a relaxed setting who sits outside of their social circles. In partnering with CALM, we have made it our priority to emphasise our barbershops as open spaces for discussion. Our barbers are also embarking on developing their own skills and understanding by training in Mental Health First Aid. The outcome of which will enable them to recognise the signs if a client is struggling with their mental health. Our campaign activities include: - Raising awareness and funding to continue CALM’s life-saving efforts. - Training our barbers in Mental Health First Aid through the MHFA Workplace course. - Challenging the culture which has led to 84% of men bottling up their emotions. Simon Gunning, CEO of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), has said about our collaboration:“Murdock are an exciting, socially-conscious brand and we’re delighted to be partnering with them. Suicide remains the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK, but working with brands like Murdock allows us to continue supporting men who may be going through a difficult time in their lives. CALM works to create positive cultural change and with Murdock, the barber's chair is the perfect environment to start a conversation that might just save a life.”
Who are CALM?
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against male suicide, the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK. In 2016, 76% of all suicides in the UK were male. - In 2017, CALM's helpline and webchat services directly prevented 427 suicides - In the first 10 months of 2018, CALM's helpline and webchat services directly prevented 616 suicides - £8 pays for one potentially life-saving call, £20 can put CALM materials in the hands of campaigners and £600 can run CALM's website for a week, reaching 10,000 people - 12% of calls to CALM's helpline are outside of current service hours - In 2017, demand for the helpline and webchat service grew by 16% (33% for webchats) CALM’s free, confidential and anonymous helpline & webchat are open every day, 5pm-midnight: www.thecalmzone.net/get-help
The CALM Kit
Our new grooming kit has been created to help fund a potentially life-saving phone call. The CALM Kit contains our most wished for Black Tea Trio from our Clean Label range: Black Tea Body Soap, 10ml Black Tea Cologne and our Travel Sized Black Tea Candle - a perfect combination to evoke the senses and ease the mind. Over the last two years, CALM's helpline and webchat services have directly prevented 1043 suicides. CALM’s helpline currently takes in excess of 7,000 calls a month, each one costing £8 to answer. To match this, we are donating £8 of every CALM Kit purchased to fund another potentially life-saving call.The Campaign Continues...
This is just the beginning of our #MoreThanABarber campaign. MHFA Champion Course Our barbers have embarked on this course in mental health training to help manage wellbeing proactively and minimise the impact of mental ill health in work and life. They are incredibly passionate about the wellbeing of their clients and several Murdock team members have already completed the course. We are incredibly proud to say that more of our barbers are continuing to learn how to spot the symptoms of mental health issues, offer initial help and guide a person towards support - potentially stopping a crisis from happening. Find out how the course has influenced and impacted our barbers HERE. 'Quid A Cut' Adding to our CALM Kit donations, we are also donating £1 of every Murdock barbershop service to CALM for a month. We will also be offering our customers the chance to donate an additional £1, £3 or £5 to go directly to CALM and help fund another potentially life-saving call.
London Fashion Week Men’s - #THECOMMONROOM In advance of our campaign launch, we collaborated with CALM and Topman during London Fashion Week Men’s. Our barbers created a pop-up barbershop in #TheCommonRoom - a space designed for models and members of the fashion week community to take time out; encouraging rejuvenation, recreation and communication between shows, with emotional wellbeing at its core. They sharpened up hairstyles, refined beard trims and ultimately provided a few moments of relaxation for gents across the hectic weekend. The space was also used to facilitate some fantastic conversation around mental health in Menswear, with a number of inspiring panel discussions taking place across the three days. To follow our ongoing campaign you can visit our barbershops, website and social channels and be sure to search for our activities using #MoreThanABarber.