A week of hair competitions - andrew barton

This week has been full of travel, clients and teaching, long long days and lots of fun!Well, fun apart from the bit when I was delayed at the airport for hours on end. Thank goodness for my Blackberry because at least I can get some work done. I do wish airport designers would think about lighting though, those nasty bright lights give you a headache!It’s been all about competitions this week, I was in Newcastle at the begining of the week for the North East Hair Event, an independently created hair competition.

I was there judging with Paul Merritt and a lovely actress called Jill Halfpenny. Jill won Strictly Come Dancing and was in EastEnders, but as I never get to see much telly she had to explain that me - how embarrassing! Anyway the competition was great and pulled in loads of competitors and hundreds of supporting friends. Initiatives like this are fantastic and really showcase talent locally as so much of our industry is London-centric!From the cold and wet north east I was off to the even colder Norway where I’d been invited to judge the Norwegian Hairdressing Awards and with only a week left of my crown wearing as British Hairdresser of The Year I really felt for the competitors. I was thrilled by much of their brave creativity because they displayed their local style. I get frustrated at some of the competitions I judge around the world as so many people create imagery that they have often copied what they have seen elsewhere - I dare even say much of the work copied comes from what’s been seen in the UK. It’s great knowing we are respected as the best in the world, but it’s more exciting when visiting different countries to see unique local individual style and I’ve got to give it to the Norwegian Hairdressing Awards they did just that !I’m going to run now as there’s loads I have to do before the British Hairdressing Awards...including saying a few more prayers that I’ll bring the crown back home!