The proposed Community Salon (Rev7) is a faith-based community that will offer hairdressing services and spiritual support to people in Plymouth. The project is being developed by the Revd. Darren Middleton, who has been working with industry experts and local stakeholders to ensure that it meets the needs of the community. The project is based on the belief that hairdressing can be a powerful tool for transformation. By providing people with a safe and welcoming space to get their hair done, the salon will create an opportunity for connection, conversation, and spiritual reflection. The project also aims to offer free services to those who need them, and to partner with local agencies to reach out to people who are struggling with homelessness, poverty, or mental illness.
The project is still in its early stages, but it has already received positive feedback from those who have been involved. Rev. Middleton has shared stories of people who have been helped by the project, including a woman who was baptized after receiving spiritual support from the salon, and a woman who was able to overcome her fear of going to a salon after receiving one-on-one support from a stylist. The Community Salon project is a unique and innovative approach to community development. It has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of people in Plymouth, and it is an example of how faith can be used to transform communities.
Alongside the Community Salon, Darren will also work as NPNP Coordinator across the two merging districts, as follows:
- With the District Chairs and District Policy Committees, play a leading role in developing a strategic approach to developing and encouraging NPNPs in every circuit, where appropriate.
- Create a community of operating NPNP pioneering missioners across the region.
- To inspire, encourage and enable the work of potential projects and practitioners / missioners.
- Produce and deliver presentations across the Districts that inform, educate, and share the learning of the NPNP community and projects with the local Circuits / Synods / Connexion.