New barber shop opens in Brighouse

Sabian Gold Barbers, on Briggate, is run by Meesha El-Madawi-Khan, who lives in Rastrick and previously worked at House of Handsome Barbers in Elland and then No 8 Market Street Barbers in Brighouse.

The shop opened with some celebratory prosecco and balloons.

"It's crazy, I never would have thought after cutting hair for so long that, at only 20 years old, I'm opening my own barbers shop," she said.

"Ever since I was a Saturday girl at a barber's, before I applied for my apprenticeship, it was always something I was interested in.

"I looked at doing hairdressing but I prefer cutting men's hair.

"We've got two chairs to rent and we have a lady upstairs who offers ear syringing, as they don't offer that on the NHS, every Monday and Friday.

"We'll have more services to come, it's just finding the right people."

Meesha says he has been given guidance in opening the business by her grandmother.

"Still being quite young and not being the best with maths, bills and money management, I have a bit of help from my nana," she said.

"I didn't know where to start, but my nana has shown me the bulls I need to pay for and everything, getting the right insurance.

"I just thought get the quipment, rent the place and boom, but there's far more to it!"

Meesha is also a carer for her mum, Suzie, and her younger brother.

"A couple of years ago she had a seizure and it caused her ears and eyes to leak," Meesha said.

"They're still trying to discover what's wrong with her, but she's not allowed to work until they figure it out.

"She also has bipolar, so she takes a lot of medication.

"I also look after my little brother, who is disabled. He gets tired really easily and can't walk long distances, or over-work himself, even when he's at college.

"I'm lucky that I'm quite healthy though, I just make sure I'm OK so I can look after everyone else.

"I like looking after my family but I want to look after myself too and make sure I'm comfortable financially, and have my own goals."

Meesha says she wants the shop to be a welcoming place for men to come and talk.

"As well as being fully booked up and having a great team to work with, we've also spoken to Andy's Man Club because, even though it's run by a woman, I want men to be able to reach out to me and speak to me during the hair cuts, and talk about their mental health," she said.

"Even if they came in for a cup of coffee and weren't even booked in, I want it to be a nice space where they feel comfortable to talk about their emotions.

"Because a hair cut does make a difference, it does make you feel better.

"It's like a girl getting her nails done and coming back feeling pampered and happy, that's wht we want to achieve.

"I want to expand in the future as well and have another shop somewhere else."