The renovation of our new salon space is well under way as we hit the middle of week 3! Loz, Milo and PJ, our super team have made great strides in levelling the back room floor for wheelchair access and constructing new walls which are both insulated and add a nice smooth surface to the space. Check out our latest photo selection here!

We’ve changed our layout plans to make the toilet EVEN MORE accessible than our first set of plans which we’re delighted about! Our sound proofed back room for individual or group use / hire is coming along nicely and we hope will provide a nice, comfortable and cosy environment for anyone who wants to use it. We had a visit from the runners of Good Gym who scraped the shop front with gusto for 40 minutes and then ran away again! What a whirlwind that was with paint flying everywhere! Good job good gym.

We’ve hit some new challenges as the floor is not in great shape due to a build up of newspaper (dated 1984!) and underlay have moulded themselves to the surface. A wonderful team of volunteers arrived to help scrape this layer away making a huge difference! We may do a call out for round 2 soon! Laying a new floor is an expensive job and something we will avoid doing if we can as the Crowdfunder total sadly doesn’t stretch that far. We also had a last minute search for new electricians and plumbers as our previous contacts fell through. The quotes are coming through more costly this time, and with time pressures working against us our budget is being constantly revised but we’re determined not to compromise on all the important features of our community salon space.

With some clever freecycling, volunteers getting involved, great team coordination and working round the clock we hope to just about make it to open in time for the end of April 2016, but we’ll keep you posted!

Thank you for the messages of support, caring gestures and volunteering offers – they are much appreciated! If anyone wants to join the volunteers list, or if you have any furniture to give away that you think we could use,

please drop us an email at openbarbers@gmail.com.

Love, Love, Love and let the community spirits prevail!

(Post written by Greygory)