Something for the weekend, sir?

Yes. A healthier lifestyle, please.

Customers at a Bradford barber's shop are being advised how to avoid a close shave with early death in a series of visits by health experts.

As well as doing on-the-spot blood checks and other tests, the experts are handing out condoms and advice on sexual disease.

Shafiq Ahmed, who owns the shop at Leeds Road, welcomed the suggestion he might help the health team get their message through to more men.

So advice sessions are held there fortnightly while the scissors and razors do their work.

Andrew Harrison is the men's public health facilitator for Ravenscliffe and Greengates.

He helps provide advice through the Health of Men network, which operates in Bradford and Airedale via primary care trusts.

He said: "I am always on the look-out for innovations and saw an opportunity to provide advice and screening for blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, height and weight at the barber's shop.

"Condoms are handed out and sexual health discussed. We also promote testicular self-examination.

"With the help of Mehzar Iqbal, the multi-lingual healthcare support worker from Airedale Primary Care Trust, we can target many hard-to-reach groups there."

Mr Harrison said Shafiq Ahmed has been an inspiration to the team. "Many barbers might feel that the sight of a full shop may put other customers off calling in, but Shafiq embraced the idea immediately and feels he has a role to play in getting health messages out to the communit," he said.

So far, more than 40 men from many ethnic backgrounds have been screened in four sessions.

Mr Harrison said: "Men are traditionally a hard-to-reach group. However, this unique approach appears to be a successful and fun way to engage them about health issues."

Anyone interested in participating should contact Mr Harrison on (01274) 322169 or Mr Iqbal on (01535) 667613.