Linda had reached a fashion full stop — never knowing what to wear and sticking with the same old outfits.

At the age of 52 she was stuck in a rut, until Bolton Boutique’s Jenny Minard came to the rescue.

Linda, who works as a cook at Harwood Children’s Day Nursery in Houghfold Way, Bolton, said: “Nothing ever matches. I have no idea what to wear. I think I should go for higher necklines now I’m older but don’t want to dress like a pensioner.”

Feeling dowdy, Linda decided to enter the competition.

And when she won she was surprised. She said: “I was just stuck for words.”

For the hair and make-up we took Linda to Sak’s salon in Churchgate. Linda wears a hair net for work and so keeps her hair short. The stylists had their work cut out.

Barrington Pollard, aged 27, started on the colour using a new technique to apply the deep reds. He said: “It was obvious she used home dyes and it was a case of figuring out how to get a few different colours in there.”

Brent Barlow, aged 18, didn’t have much to do with the cut but worked his magic.

Barrington said: “I think we did a good job. She was like a tabula raza — a blank canvas. She gave us free rein and It’s great if the customer trusts us.”

Next for the make-up. Salon franchisee Natasha Cartwright created a flawless complexion, smoky eyes and natural lips.

Natasha, aged 30, said: “It was really rewarding to see the transformation. It was nice to glam it up a bit with colours. She looked very glamorous.”

Next it was off to spend some cash. We took Linda to spend her £250 prize money at TK Maxx in Trinity Retail Park, Bolton, where she grabbed a few bargains.

The first outfit was a pair of black trousers — being a busy mum she needs to be versatile — but we jazzed up with an orange kimono top.

Next up was a monochrome look. A black skirt, to show off a bit of leg and cardigan to nip her in at the waist. A mock croc handbag and strappy shoes completed the look.

Linda said: “The clothes were classy.“ Linda, who has four daughters, Kerry, aged 29, Caroline, aged 23, Kristina, aged 22 and Shawni, aged 16, said she had a fantastic experience.

She said: “I just thought it was brilliant from start to the end. As soon as I walked into the hairdresser and sat down, the day started then. I thought this is mine — rather than other competition prizes I usually give to my family. This was for me.

“It was all a really good day. Everything was great. It’s given me a new lease of life.”