Businesses of Bedford rallied to make the return of the Bedford College Hair & Beauty Show a success.

The catwalk event at the Corn Exchange, a highlight of the social calendar in town, had been sadly missed for two years due to lockdowns and restrictions. It came back with a bang on Thursday 26th May with the anticipated fantastic fashions.

Hair and Beauty students from the Brooks High Street training salon, which is part of The Bedford College Group, prepared a range of outstanding styles, and representatives from across businesses in the Bedford hair and beauty sector attended to judge the winners of each category. 

The event was sponsored by BedfordBID - known to consumers as Love Bedford, which represents 600+ businesses in the town centre. The BedfordBID organisation gave £500 worth of Love Bedford shopping vouchers as prizes. BedfordBID also arranged for professional filming of the big day - which will be shown across various channels in the coming months - and a social media photo competition, open to all those who attended or participated on the day. 

In addition, goodie bags for all winners were donated by The Body Shop in Silver Street, and the finale award, judged by the jeweller’s own representative, was a fantastic £150 voucher from Bakers Brothers of St Peter’s Street.

Gemma Jones from Brooks said: “This has been an enormous journey for many of our students and to be part of this event is a highlight of training. We are very grateful for the backing we have received from Love Bedford and businesses.”

Sam Laycock, Chair of the BedfordBID said: “Hair and beauty are two services which cannot be accessed over the internet. These businesses, represented here by their young apprentices and by the trainees of the future, are at the heart of the town centre of Bedford.”