THERE was a “maleficent” result when students at Bolton St Catherine’s Academy competed in a hairdressing competition.

Tutor Lorraine Allwood set the year 12 and 13 hairdressing students the task of coming up with an Avant Garde hair-up style.

And 16 year-old Abby Wilcox brought her own kind of magic to the event to take first prize and win a place in a top national competition.

Abby, with her mum Dawn Wilcox as her model, created one of the “horned” styles sported by Angelina Jolie as the vengeful fairy in last year’s blockbuster film hit Maleficent — and never has chicken wire and fake hair been more spellbinding.

It took just over an hour to use the hair-covered wire frames she made, interwoven into her mum’s dark locks, to make the fanciful creation and wow the judges.

They were hairdressers Rob McGhie from the Spike James Salon and Kristina Southern from the Bella Vida salon, plus Bolton News columnist Angela Kelly.

Abby just beat fellow 16 year-olds Maemie Tomlinson’s Easter basket-inspired hairdo, Lauren Hamilton’s Rapunzel plait — complete with flashing lights — Joanne Richards’ Moulin Rouge vintage style and Katie Mason’s clever interpretation using a hair “hat” she created herself.

Lorraine Allwood was delighted with the students’ creativity and praised how they had taken the brief and used their imagination to bring their ideas to life.

Kristina Sterling said they had all done brilliantly, and Rob McGhie singled out Abby’s excellent work in fashioning the unusual hairstyle in such a short time.

Now, Abby will be entered in the prestigious national hair and beauty festival, held annually at the Blackpool Winter Gardens.

Abby, who plans to go into hairdressing, said she really enjoyed “trying out something so different” and that she had been really inspired by Angelina Jolie’s film hairstyles.