Lorna's high hopes for her new hair and beauty salon

Lorna Waddell inside the Aspen Hair and Beauty salon in Stannington. Picture by Jane Coltman

And Lorna Waddell hopes that Aspen Hair and Beauty will become an attractive destination for many people across Northumberland.

It is situated in what used to be the village’s post office and the works involved three-and-a-half months of completely gutting the interior building, allowing it to be fully insulated, re-wired, re-plumbed and re-invigorated.

The services provided include conditioning treatments, skin rejuvenation, waxing, eyebrow shaping and acne treatment.

Lorna said: “Being a hair and make-up artist for a number of ITV shows and independent filming was fantastic, but the job included a lot of travelling around.

“It had reached the stage where I wanted to have my own base and although it took a lot of work to get the right location and the salon up-and-running, I’m pleased with the decision I made.

“I had previously contacted the Land Factor office at Blagdon when I started my search and so its team got in touch with me to say the building off Church Road in Stannington was available.

“I like the location because we are a destination, not somewhere you would just stumble across, and there is a large free car park right outside the salon.

“We have worked hard to create a warm and welcoming professional environment and a relaxing experience. Our tag line is ‘arrive as a client and leave as a friend’.

“I’m pleased with how things have gone so far – we’ve had many positive reviews – and hopefully we will continue to grow our number of clients in the months and years ahead.

“This work is something I really enjoy, especially as the industry doesn’t stand still which means I always have to keep up with the latest trends.”

She added that Aspen is one of the few salons in Northumberland to provide intense pulsed light permanent hair removal treatments. Services are also available from stylist Sandra Wisniewski, who has many years of experience in the hairdressing industry.

For more details about its services, call 01670 785711 or visit www.aspenbeauty.co.uk