Lifford's Barber Brothers hosts a 24-hour mental health charity cut

Barber Brothers, also known as Barber Bros & Co, in Lifford will be hosting a 24-hour charity haircutting event next Saturday.

The event begins at 8 am on Saturday, September 19, and will finish on Sunday, September 19.

The barbershop, located on Butcher Street in Lifford, will be donating all proceeds made on the day to the national charity Grow Mental Health to help support free, confidential, peer-support groups provided for adults who are experiencing mental health challenges.

Philip Whyte, the owner of Barber Brother’s, told DonegalLive he was inspired to do this event after hearing of the mental health struggles that his customers share with him

“We all know somebody who suffers from poor mental health; there’s always somebody in the family or somebody close to you, and everyone that comes in opens up to me a lot,” he said. “That’s why I go for mental health and try to help people out.

“People tell you stuff in the seat that their whole family doesn’t even know… sometimes it can be a burden on yourself when you can’t help people, but when people want to tell you, you can see a bit of relief in their face.”

Philip is no stranger to raising money for charity, sharing that he has previously done smaller events to raise money for national and local charities.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I’m a bag of nerves because I’ve never done anything of this scale before… it’ll be a tight shift, but it will be worth it, and we’ll feel good for it.”

Barber Brother’s employees will be cutting throughout the day and will also donate a full day's worth of wages to the cause, with other barbers in the area coming to cover them for a break in the afternoon.

Face painting and fresh coffee from the Grind House Coffee van will be on the premises.

Live music from Susan Blee and Kenny Crawford will be playing, and spot prizes from local businesses are up for grabs, including a year’s worth of free haircuts.

The charity event will run throughout the night into Sunday morning and will be operating on a walk-in basis only.

Philip has asked for any local musicians or businesses who would like to contribute to the event to contact him via WhatsApp on +353874542160.

For more information and updates on the event, visit Barber Brother’s Facebook page.