We invite anyone who has received new hair drying or styling equipment for Christmas to bring their old working appliances into the salon so that they can be safety checked and then donated to local charity, Grow Glos who will distribute them to worthwhile causes such as The Cheltenham Women’s Refuge.

Stuart said: “We have declared this amnesty because we know that there are hundreds of perfectly good pieces of equipment gathering dust in the back of wardrobes all across the county.  We wanted to invite our clients to donate them to us so that we can give them a good home elsewhere and what better place than the local women’s refuge.  It is our way of giving something back to the community that we live and work in.”

The amnesty idea came about during staff discussions about Christmas presents and how there are so many innovative products coming on to the market that tempt people into buying something new when their old hair dryer, straighteners or tongs are still perfectly acceptable.

Everyone bringing in a hair styling appliance will receive a letter thanking them for their contribution and explaining a little about this worthwhile cause.  They will also receive 3 discount vouchers, 30% off beauty, 20% off electrical, in case they didn’t get the lusted after hair dryer that they’d dropped numerous hints about and a 10% discount off retail products.

Stuart and the staff chose Grow Glos, a registered local charity, to donate the appliances to as they work closely with Cheltenham Women’s Refuge.  Grow are a community based charity providing support in the shape of mentoring, caring for or helping those that find themselves disadvantaged or excluded from general society.

Grow work with Cheltenham Women’s Refuge in various ways.  The Grow volunteers recently took the women and children from the refuge to the Winter Wonderland at Westonbirt Arboretum for a Christmas treat.  They have also collected presents for the refuge for Christmas and are helping to coordinate a monthly pamper day for the new year and offer the women NLP training courses to help them cope and manage their experiences.

Kym Swire, a representative from Grow said: “We really appreciate this initiative from The Stuart Holmes Hair & Beauty Spa.  I think it’s a really fantastic idea and I know that the gesture will be really welcomed at the refuge.”

For more information about Grow Glos please visit www.growglos.org or to make a donation please visit www.justgiving.com/growglos/Donate

More used to battling it out with the great and the good of the hairdressing world from competitor salons, the creative team arm themselves with their scissors and brushes and battle it out amongst themselves.

Stuart, said: “Nurturing the stylists’ creativity is an  essential component of a successful salon. We do this every year and the whole team, from apprentices to up to director level,  really look forward to it.  It is a chance for the team to really flex their creative muscles and show off their skills.  It’s fantastic for morale, it’s incredibly inspiring and as judges we never cease to be blown away by the results.”

Each contender had complete authority over the finished product. They selected the model, directed a make-up artist and sourced the outfit.

Stuart said:  “Giving the staff total responsibility gives them a glimpse of what session styling is all about.  It’s not just the hair, it’s the completed look and every aspect is equally important.  We try to show all of the staff the different avenues available in the world of hairdressing and that includes the world of high fashion, session styling, and avant garde shows.  I always take team members with me to work at London and Paris Fashion Week.”

When finished all of the models and stylists staged a catwalk show at Monty’s Brasserie in Cheltenham in front of a panel of judges, including a representative from L’Oreal and invited friends and family.  After much deliberation, Gary Wiltshire was crowned as the winner with Kath Croydon as runner up.

Gary, 24, was runner up in The Advanced Apprentice Award at the National Apprentice Awards 2011 and a finalist in the L’Oreal Colour Trophy 2011, one of the largest hairdressing competitions in the world.

He has been with Stuart since starting his training only 4 years ago and his rise through the ranks could be described as meteoric.  He called his winning style  ‘Vintage Outlook’ and took inspiration from the classic 1950’s looks of Oxford and Cambridge and the Autumn/Winter 2012 collections of Ralph Lauren and Hackett.

Gary said: “I’m so chuffed to have won!  I love this competition, we all look forward to it.  This year I thought I had no chance because everyone’s creations were just amazing.  I enjoy every aspect and find it incredibly inspiring. Days like these are why I decided to join this profession.”

Kath Croydon was awarded second place with her fiery red creation.  She joined the salon only a month ago but is already making waves.  Her inspiration came from the iconic British film, This Is England, a punk look brought up to date with contemporary touches.

Both Gary and Cath won £150 worth of hairdressing related goodies and Gary also received £250 worth of Matrix Training vouchers, a global training provider for the hairdressing world.

We did it again!  Last week Best Local Salon at the Most Wanted Awards and this week Salon Team of the Year at the British Hairdressing Business Awards held at the Lancaster Hotel, London.

These annual awards celebrate the best business minds in the world of hairdressing and recognise individuals that excel in their field.  This year saw record entries and the standards were reported to be exceptionally high which makes winning all the more special.

Stuart said after receiving the award: “I can’t believe it, this is absolutely amazing.  I am so proud of the whole team, for them to receive this recognition is fantastic.  Creating the best possible team to service our clients is really important to us, it is all about them at the end of the day.  We want to give them the service that they deserve and so this award goes some way to assuring us that we’re moving in the right direction.”

The award was presented to the team by the rather lovely Daybreak presenter and Strictly Come Dancing star, Dan Lobb.  He did a fantastic job and had everyone in stitches most of the time.

Assistant manager, Lucy Russell said: “This has been one of the best nights of my life.  It’s such an inspiration to be recognised as an equal against industry names that I have looked up to for years.  I can’t wait to get back to work tomorrow to carry on the good work!”

The salon fought off stiff competition to take the trophy amongst whom were previous winners, Leicester’s Barrie Stephen, the 2010 winner and London’s Michael Van Clarke which won in 2009.

We have been crowned Best Local Salon in Creative HEAD magazine’s highly coveted 2011 Most Wanted Awards!

We are absolutely over the moon to receive this award.  To be voted the Best Local Salon by our industry peers is fantastic, it is a real tribute to the hard work and dedication of the whole team.  We’re just blown away!

Lucy Russell, our lovely assistant manager, had the pleasure of receiving the award (and a kiss) from the inimitable Mr Keith Lemon, of Celebrity Juice fame. We were gutted to miss the evening but we had already booked our holiday when we were notified that we’d got through to the finals.

Creative HEAD is a prestigious industry title and the awards celebrate the greatest industry talents from across the UK so it really is such an honour to receive this recognition.

This award is the first of a potential three as we are a finalist in a further two categories, Salon Team of the Year and the Training Award at the British Hairdressing Business Awards taking place on Monday 12th September.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Starting in the autumn, women will be able to attend a course of lessons at the salon that include sessions on how to recreate the looks of iconic figures and celebrities such as Kate Middleton, Fearne Cotton, Kiera Knightley and Helen Mirren.

The Stuart Holmes Beauty School will be aimed at clients who want to learn more about how to get the most from their hairstyle and beauty regime.

Stuart has launched Celebrity Beauty School as he realises that unlike top celebrities, not everyone can afford to have a personal stylist with them 24/7.

He said: “I want to be able to give my clients the skills which means they can recreate top celebrity looks for themselves at home. My vision is to bolster the assistance for clients so they can get more from their hair and beauty regime between appointments. Our aim is not to train them up to become professionals, but to simply share professional tips with them that they can utilise at home.

“By focussing on major celebrities, we will be giving women the opportunity to learn how to recreate those perfect celebrity looks when it comes to both hair and makeup.”

Lessons will be taught by Stuart Holmes and senior members of staff.

Student teacher ratios will never exceed 10:1 to ensure a high level of training. At the end of each course, all graduates will receive a goody bag that includes a DVD lesson programme, top tips postcards and a certificate that also acts as a discount voucher to use in the salon in the future.

The next course of Beauty School will include three evening classes. The course will cost £30 for existing Stuart Holmes clients and £40 for non-clients.

For more information about The Stuart Holmes Beauty School or to book a place, telephone 01242 200011.

On hearing the news Stuart said: “2011 has been an absolutely incredible year for us and to be recognised by your peers for your business acumen is a wonderful feeling.  The nomination has created a real buzz amongst our team and our clients. It is a fantastic achievement and honour – not only for ourselves, but for the salon team and business as a whole.”

We are the only salon in Cheltenham to have achieved finalist status in these highly competitive awards and to be judged by industry and business experts to be one of the key driving forces within the hairdressing industry is truly amazing.  We feel like we’ve won already!

Jayne Lewis-Orr, Editor-in-Chief of Hairdressers Journal, said: “Year-on-year the standard of entries has grown and developed. Entries are alive with innovation, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial expertise showing amazing skills across the breadth of business management and this year was no exception. The judges had a very difficult job selecting the finalists in each category. To achieve finalist status in these awards is a tremendous testimony to The Stuart Holmes Hair and Beauty Spa’s success.”

The Salon Team of the Year category is considered to be one of the most exciting within the British Hairdressing Business Awards, as it highlights those teams that have the expert skills and qualities across the board that are necessary to succeed within this highly competitive industry.

We will be heading off to London for the glamorous awards ceremony at The Lancaster Hotel on Monday 12September 2011, keep your fingers crossed for us!

Stuart, who was recently appointed Gloucestershire’s Apprentice Champion for the Service Industries said: “ We are so pleased to have been awarded this position within the Top 100, I am humbled and honoured by the quality of the company that I’m keeping!

“Apprenticeships are the foundation of so many industries, and this list reflects that.  I know that my business could not survive without them.  I believe passionately in encouraging young people to reach their potential and believe that apprentices bring a new perspective and passion to our industry that is fresh and exciting.”

The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers List is an exciting new initiative to recognise excellence in business by celebrating the outstanding achievements of Apprenticeship schemes and promote their benefits to learners and employers alike.  To gain a place on the list the employer had to demonstrate an exceptional commitment to the training and support of their apprentices in their chosen field.  One of Stuart’s apprentices, Gary Wiltshire, received a Highly Commended in the Advanced Apprentice award category at the recent regional finals of the Apprenticeship Awards which experienced a record number of entries this year with over 1,600 applications for the eight different categories.

Last year Stuart’s commitment to cultivating new talent was recognised by top business experts as The Stuart Holmes Hair and Beauty Spa was awarded the ‘Apprentice Development Award’ at the prestigious Gloucestershire Business Awards.  Stuart is extremely proud to be able to offer an award-winning scheme to his apprentices to start them on their career paths.

The Top 100 winners were announced at the National Apprenticeship Awards, during a glamorous ceremony attended by Skills Minister, John Hayes at the Mermaid Theatre, Blackfriars.  The National Apprenticeship Scheme is an organisation dedicated to recognising the immense talent that Britain has to offer.  Their mission is to ensure that every individual will have the opportunity to be nurtured and grow within their chosen industry.

CONGRATULATIONS to Sasha and Fi for getting through to the finals of the L’Oreal LIKE Your Style competition!

L’Oreal launched the reality competition on Facebook because they wanted to create an interactive competition that would highlight the wealth of talent that British hairdressing has to offer.  The public decide on who is the next big thing in hairdressing by voting online for their favourite creation.

Sasha and Fiona set off at the crack of dawn to reach the L’Oreal Academy, Hammersmith to style the hair of up and coming fashion designer Clarissa Walsh from C by Clarissa who was accompanied by her best friend Camilla Macintosh of Made in Chelsea fame.  The brief was to create a glamorous red carpet look that would look fabulous at any glitzy premiere.

Sasha, 24 and Fi, 27, won their place in the L’Oreal Like Your Style final after beating off stiff competition from across the whole of the UK.  The last round saw them styling Tahnee Lee from the up and coming girl band The Scarletz.  The public have voted consistently for Sasha and Fi’s creations and both girls are hoping that they are going to go all the way and be crowned the first ever Like Your Style champions.

If you’d like to make Sasha and Fi’s dreams come true, click on this link and vote for picture number 1. http://createsend.com/t/y-EBB88D2AFF332266 Hurry though as voting closes at 6pm on Monday 4^th July.

We fought off stiff competition to secure our place in the final of the Best Local Salon category.  This 10^th Anniversary year saw record levels of entries and so it means even more to have secured a place.  Each category was assigned a carefully selected and exclusive panel to ensure that the judging process was rigorously transparent and fair.  Judges included fashion authority Professor Louise Wilson, Vogue’s contributing editor Anna Marie Solowji and multi-award winning hairdresser Sacha Mascolo-Tarbuck.

The Most Wanted Awards are organised annually by top industry magazine, Creative HEAD to showcase the very best in the world of hairdressing.  Winners will be crowned by Celebrity Juice host, Keith Lemon at a glamorous Grand Final ceremony that takes place on September 5^th at the London Fashion Week venue, Lawrence Hall.  We’re so excited!

This fabulous news was received  came in the same week as Sasha and Fi earned their place in the final of the L’Oreal Like Your Style competition and we were placed in the Top 100 Employers List by the National Apprenticeship Scheme.