In a small barbershop in Brixton, south London, conversations are shifting from haircuts to mental health. Ben Theophanous, owner of Curfew Grooming, says clients often open up to their barber about things they wouldn't share with partners or friends. "The relationship is often strong, but there is an element of superficiality that provides a unique platform for sharing feelings," he explains.
Curfew Grooming is one of more than 100 UK barbershops trained in Mental Health First Aid through the 12th Man Campaign, founded in 2013 by mental health nurse Nick Little and his late friend Oz Osborne. The initiative, named after the football term for fans, normalizes mental health conversations in everyday settings like barbershops and tattoo studios. Volunteers take an online course to spot signs of distress, ask meaningful questions, and guide customers to appropriate resources.
"We're just handing the responsibility to men in society to look out for their friends and their family," Little says. The need is urgent: nearly one in seven people worldwide live with a mental health condition, but men are less likely to seek help and three times more likely to die by suicide, according to the UK's Office for National Statistics. In England, people are eight times more likely to wait over 18 months for mental health treatment on the NHS than for physical health care, as analyzed by the charity Rethink in 2025.
Community-led initiatives are stepping in to fill these gaps, not as replacements for professional services but as preventive measures. "Let's put trust in society and invest in our community businesses, because that's the front line," Little adds.
Nature as therapy in Denmark
Similar male-focused programs are emerging across Europe. In Denmark, the Vildmandsprojektet (Wild Man) project has become a blueprint for nature-based rehabilitation. Co-founded by nature psychologist Simon Høegmark in 2014, the 9- to 12-week program was inspired by his own crisis. After a difficult period, he hiked in Norway and reached a summit overlooking Lysefjord. "For a brief moment, the thought of jumping crossed my mind," he recalls. But then the sun broke through, illuminating the landscape, and he felt a sense of connection and love for life.
That experience led Høegmark to study how nature can aid recovery. The Vildmandsprojektet has since helped around 700 men, with studies showing significant improvements in physical and mental quality of life and reduced stress symptoms, lasting up to six months after the course. The program's Nature, Body, Mind, and Community (NBMC) method has been adopted by more than 50 Danish municipalities, adapted for both men and women.
Høegmark emphasizes that the method is not a replacement for psychiatric treatment but a supplement within a cohesive health service framework. "It can strengthen participants' sense of agency and ownership regarding their own wellbeing," he says, while stressing the need for clear referral pathways.
These initiatives reflect a broader European trend of community-driven mental health support. In Spain, for example, long waits and high costs have left many without care, as recent reports highlight. Meanwhile, programs like the Bushcraft Bus in the UK are reconnecting people with nature and resilience. As waiting lists grow, such grassroots efforts offer a lifeline—one conversation, one hike at a time.
