INSPIRATION
Craig Henderson Craig Henderson is the company director of Craig’s Barber Shop in Bolton and has an amazing ethos around the shop’s gender-neutral and neurodiverse way of operating.
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raig’s Barbershop is an award-winning business which offers barbering services for all lengths, genders and sexualities. With a focus on working with adults and children with additional needs, it’s no secret that Craig’s is making a name for itself within the industry. Craig explains a little about the ethos: “Where do I start? Additional needs are a broad spectrum, this covers the medical, mental, or psychological. It all started with me working at a specialist nursery in Bolton, helping kids with additional needs and also working with a high school that has a broad spectrum of additional needs, which was a real eyeopener for me. “I currently have various clients I support with additional needs, with regulars who are children with autism, and non-verbal autism. People with autism tend to have sensory triggers, whether that’s noise, smell or feel, so this can prove very difficult when doing a haircut. “It takes me back to when I learned to cut hair, as I had to master my scissors and blow-drying before I could go anywhere near a pair of clippers.” Running an all-inclusive barbershop carries certain beliefs and ethos within the staff, along with a heap of benefits to demonstrate the passion for caring about your fellow human beings. You serve the community, which includes every type of person out there. One of Craig’s biggest influences is his son, who has sensory processing disorder (SPD): “It has always been a challenge to cut his hair but learning his triggers has helped me adjust. I cut hair for 19 years in November, and I still feel like I walked into the industry yesterday. “You hear horror stories like kids being flicked with combs, pressures marks on their heads from holding them still and one parent told four barbers to pin the kid down and he head-butted one and broke his nose. I prefer to sit down with
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them, be at their level, and manage a full haircut. “We live in a world that is moneydriven. Yes, it’s nice to have all the money in the world but giving that extra 10-15 minutes could help an awesome, incredible human who just wants look fantastic! We didn’t spend years at college to just be barbers. We are professionals.” Overall, Craig aims to spread the
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message that hair professionals should be more accepting of people from all walks of life. It takes time working with some types of clients, so be patient as you may just end up with a new client for life, sharing moments and stories and helping someone who struggles with having their hair cut. Follow @craighenderson_srsb and @craigsbarbershopbolton on Instagram.
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