Bedford town centre had an injection of glamour on Thursday May 25th with the annual Hair and Beauty Show.

A parade of beauties and barbering models from Brooks Hair and Beauty salon on the High Street to the Bedford Corn Exchange, stopped the traffic and led to a flurry of social media postings.

The Coronation year theme was Kings and Queens with examples of a Queen Bee, Killer Queen Freddie Mercury, Elvis “The King” Presley and Queens from History and of Hearts.

The annual event is part of The Bedford College Group calendar and involves dozens of students and apprentices, supported by hair and beauty salons across the area as well as the Love Bedford organisation www.lovebedford.co.uk

Love Bedford, or The BedfordBID donated £500 in shopping vouchers as prizes. For one lucky winner there as a £150 voucher from Baker Brothers Diamonds of Bedford.

For College CEO Ian Pryce CBE, this was his last show before he retires at the end of 2023. He told the audience: “The Hair and Beauty industry is something in which the UK leads the world. Our students are helping others to look great and importantly feel good about themselves. Congratulations to the staff and and students.”

The Bedford College Group worked hard to support the Hair and Beauty industry regionally during the lockdowns, and now with the on-going challenges facing the sector, much of which is set around independent businesses struggling with the costs of premises, product and personnel.

So it is a tribute to the team to see that out of all colleges in the UK, The Bedford College Group came 26th out of 210 for keeping hairdressing apprentices on track during 2021/22.

“I would like to thank all of our staff, particularly Nicky Richard, for their work during these challenging times. We hope that going forward we can encourage more young people to take up the lifelong career of hairdressing,” said Debbie Houghton, Executive Director of Apprenticeships, Business Development and Commercial.

The Bedford College Group is one of the top apprenticeship providers in the UK and has links with employers across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.

https://bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk/about/news/top-three-biggest-apprentice-provider/