A group of dads in Solihull swapped the Villa match for an evening of plaits and pints last night, aiming to master their daughters' hairstyles once and for all.
Initiative Founder
Sophia Gough, a mobile hairdresser from Deco Hairdressing in Solihull, founded Plaits and Pints. The program helps 'girl dads' improve their hairstyling skills. The initiative has become so popular that 13 sessions have been booked across the West Midlands, with the most recent taking place on May 20 at the Pup and Duckling pub.
Thirteen dads gathered at 7pm for a night of French plaits, ponytails, and pints. Speaking about the initiative, Sophia said: "I started this because my sister sent me a reel of a workshop they were already doing in Australia, and she basically said, 'You can do that.' So I set it up, spoke to some local pubs, and asked if it would help them on quiet midweek nights. They agreed. I thought, if no one comes along, I haven't really lost anything."
She added: "This is important to me because dads could use more support with their daughters' hair. But more than that, it's a nice thing to do on a weeknight, and if it helps people, great."
Dads' Perspectives
Matt Fenton, 36, from Solihull, is the father of a nearly four-year-old girl. He said: "She often leaves the house with crazy hair when I'm in charge, so I'm here to rectify that. Learning a few basic styles is really positive. I think it's important to be able to do the same hairstyles. A lot of times, dads don't do this kind of stuff even though we want to, but we didn't grow up plaiting our friends' hair."
Matthew Froome, 43, from Sutton Coldfield, has a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter. He shared: "I'm here because I have a daughter and I want to know what I'm doing with her hair. It's not always mummy."
Akash Beri, 40, from Solihull, does most of the school drop-offs and will be doing his child's hair when she starts school. He said: "I just don't want her to look stupid. It's less about competition and more about making her look a little bit normal and not having messy hair. I don't want to be the reason she doesn't have nice hair."
The dads expressed how important this initiative is for fathers, helping them bond with their daughters and gain confidence in hairstyling.
