Shock closure of barber shop leaves 'social vacuum' in Adeyfield

Barber Roy Mayo, 76, who has worked in The Queen's Square for almost five decades, was devastated after Elliot Reeve Hairdressing closed its Hemel branch last Tuesday.

And his customers, some of whom for more than 30 years, are now in limbo after losing their beloved barber shop.

Roy said: "What I'm most upset about is not seeing my customers. A lot of them I've grown up with, and have gone through all of life's good and horrible bits.

"I've been like a counsellor for them and nursed a lot of men through nasty diseases as well as divorces. I've seen good friends pass away."

Staff at the barbers were told the parent company Elliot Reeve Hairdressing had gone bankrupt due to problems with its Coventry branch.

And Roy has been forced to visit customer's homes and invite them to his nearby flat to make ends meet.

His daughter Cathy, 49, who used to help out at the barbers as a young girl, said the closure will have a profound effect on the community.

"My dad's been an institution in Adeyfield and there will be a big social vacuum in the square now that the barbers has been closed," she said.

"The area has a very old demographic and people aren't wonderfully mobile. They can just about potter over to the shop to have their haircut, but what are they going to do now.

"They've got nowhere to go, nobody to talk to and often the old gentlemen would come in for a chat first and a haircut second. Its almost like social care service for them."

The barbers has been at the same site in The Queen's Square since 1953 and has traded under the names such as Charles Tack and Jones.

Cathy added: "We've actually had customers stood outside the shop, and the phone ringing constantly because people want their hair cut. There's still business to be had here."

If you want to contact Roy for a haircut give him a call on 07847 454724.

Elliot Reeve Hairdressing have been approached for comment.