A TALENTED Ellesmere Port salon star has made it through to the UK finals of a top competition.

Hairdresser Sarah Linley, who works at The Boutique Atelier in Underwood Drive, Whitby, was named a regional winner at The Wella Professionals TrendVision Award 2019.

She is the first ever finalist from Ellesmere Port.

Winners were announced at the recent #WellaCreativeRemix featuring regional heats that took place around the country.

Richard Phillipart, The Boutique Atelier owner, said: "The TrendVision Award Regional Heats have been exceptional, with some of the greatest talent in British hairdressing showcasing their work.

"Sarah should be recognised for this incredible achievement; getting to this stage has not been easy.

"The next step is the grand final, which I wish her every success for."

The competition started with hundreds of photographic entries, showcasing the competitors’ creative hairdressing skills.

Sarah then joined the shortlist of finalists who were selected to present their look at the TrendVision Award Regional Heats.

Now Sarah is among the 40 UK finalists and will go on to compete at the TrendVision Award UK & Ireland Final, held on September 30 at The Roundhouse, Camden, London.

The winners of the two international categories (Color Artist of the Year and Creative Artist of the Year) will then go on to the International TrendVision Award Creative Retreat, taking place in Seville, Spain, in 2020.

This good news continues The Boutique Atelier's strong year on the national hairdressing circuit, with Sarah's award taking their 2019 award tally to six national and regional award nominations and three wins so far.

Mr Phillipart added: “Education is key to our salon's ethos and this strong investment of time and money in the teams education is what keeps our team one step ahead both locally and nationally, from apprenticeships to our master stylists, education is paramount to our success.”

The regional heats have taken place in Glasgow, Manchester, London and Nottingham, whereby finalists presented their models in a bid to be recognised as the next big name in British hairdressing.

The UK and Ireland final will attract the best of British hairdressing. The star-studded event, with a cocktail reception and dinner, will feature incredible hair shows from some of the worlds most talented hair artists.

If Sarah wins her category, she will then embark on a money-can’t-buy mentoring retreat at the international event in Seville, with face-to-face mentoring from global hairdressing icons.

A wide range of acclaimed hairdressing experts judged the regional heats, and Wella’s Guest Artist, iconic hairdresser Nicky Clarke, said the standards have been incredibly impressive.

Sarah said: “Winning the regional finals of the Wella Trend Vision awards has been a highlight of my career and I'm so excited and thrilled to be representing both my salon and the North West at the grand finals in London."