Jax Barbershops Leeds: Roundhay barber inspires students to overcome struggles after beating Crohn's disease

Tonie Browne started cutting hair at 16-years-old. The teenager, who’d go on to found Jax Barbershops and its rigorous training school, showed little interest in academia at the time. He was more absorbed by the world around him.

Barbering came to him organically. He’d left his turbulent childhood home in Yeadon and moved in with a friend, who’d asked for a trim – which turned out to be the first of many.

But it was at Union Barbers that he first found his calling, thanks to mentors Julian Willis and Cabriene Brown. The Afro-Caribbean barbershop, in Hyde Park, became a home-from-home for the young student.

He’d spend his days in the corner with a bottle of pop and half a chicken: watching, learning. It was a sort of unofficial internship, he recalled.

“That’s where I fell in love with barbering,” said Tonie, now 34.

“I’d never really experienced banter before. There was this great rapport and the room was full of positivity. I’d just sit back and watch. In the end, they said ‘we’ll teach you’.”

Part of the appeal was the interactions that he’d never seen anywhere else.

“You could have a surgeon talking to a roadman, someone who was hustling on the street,” he said.

“There would be no difference between the two of them. They have the same work ethic, they’re just in different fields. I learned just as much from both types of people.

“Barbershops are like schools, they’re like public universities. You can learn about life – or anything – as long as you’re willing to listen.”

Just as influential to Tonie was King Koby, another barbershop in town. He learned scissor-work that he combined with his lessons in fades from Union Barbers.

But before then, his life had been turned upside down by a surprising diagnosis. Despite being in peak physical fitness thanks to a stint as a personal trainer, Tonie discovered in 2010 that he had Crohn’s disease.

The lifelong condition is a result of the digestive system becoming inflamed. Its symptoms include passing blood, fatigue and a sudden need to use the toilet.

“I was devastated,” Tonie said.

“I was eating five a day and was a bit of a health freak at the time.”

The then-21-year-old was frequently in hospital with inflammation. He quickly learned that his diet would have to adapt.

“I don’t see it as a negative anymore,” he said.

“I have to watch what I eat, but if you’re disciplined and you recognise patterns, you can get to the point where you’re symptomless.”

Crohn’s is – and will remain – a factor that Tonie has to think about every day. Such is the severity of his condition that were he to have one cup of coffee a day starting on Monday, he’d be back in hospital by Sunday.

He’s keen to take the stigma out of the disease. Its awkward symptoms can mean that people are unwilling to open up – but that leaves them vulnerable.

Tonie said: “Working in a barbershop, you can imagine the number of people I’ve spoken to who have Crohn’s but keep it to themselves. I can suggest all sorts of things to them – like natural anti-inflammatories, sea moss, a herbal remedy with 92 vitamins and minerals.”

Allowing for training and dealing with his condition, Tonie waited well over a decade to open his own barbershop.

He named it after his six-year-old son Jackson, and it now has two outposts: in Street Lane, Roundhay, and in Otley Road, Headingley.

Already, young son Jackson is showing an aptitude for the craft.

“He’s started cutting my hair,” said dad Tonie.

“I gave him my scissors and his mum looked horrified, because they’re quite sharp – but we have to trust our kids.

“Not only did he do a good job, he told me he wasn’t finished yet when I asked if it was ready! It blew me away. He definitely wants to work in that environment with me.”

And Jackson’s not the only one showing an interest. Last year, Jax Barbershops launched a NVQ barbering course in partnership with Roundhay School – the first of its kind in the world.

It saw a handful of students pick up vocational qualifications in the industry and has already proven a huge success.

Now in its second year, qualified students are helping to teach the next year group – as well as working in the shop.

It’s the kind of course that should exist more widely in the UK, Tonie said. In his years at Ralph Thoresby High School, academic studies held little appeal.

“Schools are good for kids, but they need to be implementing change and doing amazing things,” he said.

“Certain kids will be more interested in vocational activities. I was always more hands-on when I was in school. Right now in the UK, I don’t think there are many better jobs than barbering. I’m extremely proud of this course.”

Tonie, a self-made entrepreneur who had little interest in school when he was a teenager, hopes his students will follow in his footsteps.

Just over six years ago, he was told that Crohn’s disease meant full-time work was off the table.

Now a dad-of-two and the boss of three successful businesses, he said: “You can be conditioned into thinking you can’t do something. But only you are stopping yourself.

“You need to be resilient, disciplined and relentless. It will make you a better person.”