Students from East Durham College’s hair and beauty department have won eight medals at the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists regional finals.

Twelve colleges from across the north-east of England competed in a range of different disciplines at the event, including hairdressing, barbering, beauty and make-up.

East Durham’s student team picked up three first-place gold medals, three silvers and a bronze, with level two hairdressing student Abbey Johnson receiving the Bobby Mukabaa memorial award. 

The first place wins went to Abbey Johnson for ladies’ evening hair, Laura Burnham for gents’ long hair finish and Natalie Lofthouse in the nail art category.

Craig Harman, Joleen Hope and Tyler Thirwell Johnson took home silvers in the gents commercial, fantasy and face painting, with Charlotte Quinn and Laurie Borgesson taking bronze in the team bridal category.

Angela Johnston, the hairdressing lecturer at the college, said: “Competition is an integral part of the training our students receive, preparing them for the world of work by building their confidence, resilience and self-belief.”

The AHT national finals will be held on the 13th March at Blackpool’s famous Winter Gardens.

 

Main photo: Cream of the crop: Angela, centre, with the team