Team spirit
Eileen Leahy meets the co-founders of P2 Collective hair salon to discover more about its newly launched PACER CLUB and why it’s on a mission to connect clients and promote better mental and physical health…
Ever since it launched in 2023, P2 Collective has gone from strength to strength. Not just as an award-winning hair salon business, but also as a genuine community that’s supportive and focused on doing additional things in order to improve both mental and physical wellbeing for the team and its clients.
P2 Collective co-founders Tom Pelling and Sam Punyer tell me that on launching their men’s hair salon – which recently upgraded to a super stylish premises at number 70 Camden Road – they have always wanted to offer something more than just stylish, personalised haircuts.
“We wanted to build a collective – a space where quality, consistency, and community come together,” they explain.
The pair started with a football collective, which is still running and sees a group made up of P2 Collective staff and clients playing at Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar School every Friday night. They also hosted monthly runs too for both employees and customers.
The latter has since inspired the P2 Collective PACER CLUB, a weekly running collective which launched in January of this year and meets at the salon at 8.45am every Sunday.
“Those early runs we did showed us that community always comes first,” say Tom and Sam. “It was never about pace or performance, it was about people turning up and feeling welcome. That mindset shaped everything we do today. Progress looks different for everyone and that is something we’ve always stood behind. We are always looking for consistency and connection.
“Turning up in the cold shows that this new initiative is bigger than running.”
They add that PACER CLUB offers a space that feels ‘familiar, supportive, and pressure free’.
“There are no expectations and no egos. People know they can show up as they are, which is why they keep coming back.”
Since launching, P2 Collective has collaborated with one of its regular clients, Sam Anderson, to design a series of PACER CLUB running merchandise including T-shirts, windbreakers, 2-in-1 running shorts and water bottles. These can be bought directly from the P2 Collective salon on Camden Road or from The Running Hub in Southborough.
“Running is just the starting point,” reveal Tom and Sam. “Movement makes conversation easier and creates space for honest connection. Our focus is on building an environment where people feel comfortable opening up, checking in on each other, and can feel supported. For men especially, that sense of belonging can be just as important as the run itself.”
And how does the P2 Collective team see PACER CLUB evolving through the rest of 2026?
“This year is about building deeper, not just bigger. We want to grow the community thoughtfully, expand our runs, and continue developing products that reflect the lifestyle around PACER CLUB. The goal is to be more than a run club or a clothing brand. We want to create something that genuinely supports progress, both physically and mentally.”
PACER CLUB’s mission statement, ‘Pursuit of Progress’, is built around the idea of how mental resilience and determination to constantly improve can be supercharged by taking part in sports such as running.
“It can also be carried out into daily life too: whether that’s building your professional career, relationships or any factor of your life that seeks improvement to become a more high-performing individual,” add Tom and Sam.
P2 Collective, who won Best Team of the Year at this publication’s Business Awards and were nominated for a prestigious hair & beauty industry award last November, tell me that what makes P2 different is the sense of connection beyond the haircut.
“Through our running and football collectives we bring clients and team together in a relaxed, inclusive way – building a community of like-minded people around Tunbridge Wells.
“Whether you’re here for the cut, the atmosphere, or the community, P2 is a place to feel part of something. Our goal is to build the best run club in Tunbridge Wells, and we feel we are already creating something really special here.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
PACER CLUB meets at the P2 Collective Salon, 70 Camden Road, every Sunday morning at 8.45am
The full PACER CLUB range can be purchased online on their website
(www.pacerclub.co.uk), or in the P2 Collective Salon located on Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells.
SOCIALS:
@thep2collective
@pacer.club
