Any industry professional understands the importance of a salon not only for hairdressing services, but as a community hub. A salon offers a place to meet, share and enjoy the sense of living in a locality where you are known and cared for. Interestingly, a Scottish salon has brought to our attention an initiative that builds on this further. You may be surprised at how simple yet important it is!
The Keep Safe campaign
F&M Hairdressing in Barrhead, Glasgow contacted Respect to tell us about a fantastic scheme whereby their salon has been certified by Police Scotland as a SAFEPLACE, as part of the I AM ME initiative. This means they are considered a safe haven for anyone in the community needing refuge or help, perhaps from feeling mentally or physically unsafe.
The salon has a ‘Keep Safe’ logo on their windows and if someone is in need of assistance or help they simply walk into the salon and say ‘Keep Safe.’ A member of the management tea, will then escort the individual to a private area and make contact with the relevant authorities, staying with that person until they arrive, ensuring they are safe at all times. It’s really this easy and could make a great difference to someone.
Here’s the backstory. I AM ME was founded in 2013 to raise awareness of Disability Hate Crime and to highlight the various methods for reporting crimes and incidents. However due to its success and charitable inauguration in 2015, the charity now offers those who feel vulnerable, scared or loss a chance to receive help by simply visiting one of the ‘safe places’ which are located in their local area,
As a hug part of their local community, F&M Hairdressing were in contact with the charity and after assessment and further evaluations the salon was listed as a confirmed ‘safe place’ within their local area of Barrhead.
Whatever the issue, whether it be mental health, disability or something completely different the F&M doors are open and the local residents can rest assured that the salon is a secure and safe environment for everyone.
Such a concept can surely be rolled out in other areas, too. It’s worth investigating if your locality has such a project? We’ve all seen the importance of salons as community hubs over many years and this one, with COVID-19, in particular. Let’s make something good come out of this experience.
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