A SALON has been crowned the region’s best in the English Hair and Beauty Awards.

For Hayley Darroch’s HD Salon in Bolton Road, Atherton, it was a fairytale ending to a remarkable year.

Since the last lockdown, she has gone from one salon to two plus a new training centre, a wholesale shop for the beauty industry and 22 staff.

She and her team clinched the Hair Salon of the Year 2022 award in front of around 300 people at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel. They beat 40 other finalists from Manchester, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Hayley said: “Winning this award means the world to me and my team.

“We have worked so hard through the pandemic to keep the close bond between ourselves and our clients whilst not being able to go to work to provide treatments.

“We’ve also worked so hard since re-opening to keep building on the business and make it the best it can be. I’m really proud of what we have achieved and this award makes it all worthwhile.”

Hayley started her business four years ago in a ladies’ gym. This award is particularly sweet for her and her team as they originally won the title in 2020 – just before lockdown.

Rather than brood about the situation, Hayley used the time the salon was closed to plan her next move forward, expanding her business with another salon and training academy in nearby premises in Mealhouse Lane.

Added Hayley: “I needed to prove to myself and everyone around me that Covid wasn’t going to take my business away from me.”