The Edinburgh Reporter June 2021

3
Cut us some slack
Survey finds lockdown should not mean curtains for barbers
Keep Scotland Beautiful
competition
By STEPHEN RAFFERTY
A QUARTER OF Edinburgh residents want their
barber or hairdresser to be classified as a key
worker should Scotland face another
coronavirus lockdown.
After a year of home haircuts, 25% of city
residents interviewed for a landmark survey of
Scottish image attitudes said they want to see
salons exempt, should any future high street
closures be imposed to curb Covid-19.
The findings were part of a post-lockdown
survey of 1,500 Scots commissioned by
Sovereign Grooming, which has city centre
salons at New Waverley in Edinburgh’s Old
Town and Union Street in Aberdeen.
The survey found that during previous
lockdowns more women (61%) attempted a
home haircut compared to men (53%), while
53% of women said they find their partner more
attractive after a haircut, but less than half of
men (46%) said their partner was more attractive
following a trim. The survey also revealed that
more men are embracing longer retro hairstyles
including 80s “mullets” and 90s “curtains”.
Kyle Ross, Managing Director of Sovereign
Grooming and two-time Scottish Barber of the
Year, said: “Like most, we’ve been overwhelmed
by the client response to us re-opening after
lockdown and our diaries have been packed
for weeks.
“Therefore, I’m not surprised to see such a
large proportion of men, in particular, wanting
to see salons remain open. They play a big role in
male mental health wellbeing.
“The Scottish Government’s approach to
Barbers should be key workers
salons changed quite dramatically between the
first and second lockdown. After the first, salons
were among the last businesses to re-open.
However, this time around the government had
us in the first wave to open. The reality is that
salons are very well controlled and sterile
environments which can be operated safely with
social distancing in place.”
Of the men surveyed across Scotland as
a whole, 36% said they would like to see
barbers classed as key workers in any future
Kyle Ross
lockdown, rising to 40% with under 35s.
The Sovereign Grooming survey also found
that 61% of women attempted at least one DIY
haircut during the two lockdowns, compared to
53% of men, and just 15% said they would
continue to cut their own hair after lockdown.
One major change since the last lockdown has
been the surging popularity of longer, mainly
retro, hairstyles. Kyle Ross added: “A lot of people
have been coming in looking for variations of the
mullet and it is definitely a developing trend.”
City schools
pocket prize
KEEP SCOTLAND Beautiful (KSB) runs an
annual competition for schools and this
year eight Edinburgh schools - Cowgate
Under 5s Centre, Duddingston Primary,
Hillwood Primary, Murrayburn Early Years
Campus, Summerside Kindergarten,
Castlebrae Community High School,
Greenbank Pre-School, and Dean Park
Primary - have won.
The designs for the pocket gardens that
the children created will be published
online allowing voting for the overall
winner. Schools used the four 2021 themes
of The Year of Coasts and Waters, One Planet
Picnic, Wildlife Gardening and Celebrating
Nature on our Doorstep.
Eve Keepax of KSB said: “Many people
rediscovered a connection to nature on
their doorsteps during lockdown, and the
competition has encouraged young people
to celebrate that through their designs. We
are delighted that schools and young
people are finding the benefits of this
competition in learning and teaching about
issues that are important to them.The
Pocket Garden designs we received were
practical, creative, challenging, sustainable
and full of fun.”
Anthony McCluskey, Chair of the Garden
for Life Forum, said: “Nature is in crisis, but
we can all do our bit to help wildlife in our
local areas. Even small gardens and growing
spaces can make a great contribution to
supporting populations of insects like bees
and butterflies, and provide homes and
food for birds, hedgehogs, and amphibians.”
For more information, please visit: www.
keepscotlandbeautiful.org/pocketgarden
Cycle project comes to a halt
Andy Catlin
THE EDINBURGH All-Ability
Bike Centre (ABC) at Saughton
Park has closed due to a lack
of sustainable funding.
The Centre has offered the
freedom and enjoyment of
cycling to anyone with
disabilities which might have
otherwise prevented them
even getting on a bike. With
side-by-side tandems and
trikes the organisation was
able to give anyone the
chance to try cycling in the
fresh air.
Claire Edwards, mum of Joe
who used the service, said:
“ABC provided a safe and fun
environment for my son to
learn how to ride a bike. It was
great for his physical and
mental well-being. Without
supported activities such as
those offered by ABC, young
disabled people are excluded
from opportunities that help
them learn and develop.
“Disabled young people
have been severely impacted
by the pandemic closures,
and the loss of ABC is a real
kick in the teeth as things
open up for everyone else.”
Just before going to press
The Edinburgh Reporter
spoke to Suzanne Forup from
Cycling UK who set up ABC in
2015. Suzanne explained that
the funding has run out, and
she could not say exactly
what would happen, but she
was speaking to other
organisations.
She said: “There has been
lots of upset and tears as we
have run this project for a
long time now. It is much
needed, but is a sizeable
project employing three
part-time members of staff.
We have had lots of offers but
it must be a sustainable
model. Part of the trouble is
that as a little part of Cycling
UK - which has a healthy
balance sheet - the project
does not qualify for some
funding. Some of the trusts
we have applied to have an
Edinburgh ABC
has given many
people a taste
of cycling
income cap so we just don’t
qualify. Someone else might
be able to run it and tap into
different sources of income.”