Andrew barton: making new commitments at salon international

Salon International is the biggest event in the hairdressing calendar and this year it was a chance for Andrew Barton to catch up with some old friends and put his name to three fantastic causes.

"I was completely overwhelemed by the amount of people who were at Salon International this year. In view of the financial situation at the moment, I'd thought that the numbers would be down, but it was absolutely heaving!

"There were some fantastic stands and so many people had clearly made a lot of effort. It was interesting to see some new names, but the Babyliss Pro stage really grabbed my attention and the vast number of people who were crowded round it was phenomenal.

"While I was at Salon, I popped by the HABB stand to sign some of the calendars, which I thought looked really fantastic, and I also took over my new duty as the new Ambassador for the Hairdressing Council.

"The Hairdressing Council is committed to introducing compulsary registration for hairdressers, which is a cause I feel really passionate about, so I'm really excited to be involved.

"We currently live in a society where anyone can claim to be a hairdresser or open a hairdressing business, which is ridiculous - not just for the industry but also for the general public who don't know how qualified their stylist is.

"The Hairdressing Council will also be trying to build their profile and make people more aware of all the good work that it does and, as I have realised that I have a voice that is respected and helped in the industry I want to be able to use it in a way that helps and supports worthy causes.

"Another one of these causes that I have become a co-founder of is the HAIRraising charity, which launched at Salon International. The idea came about from John Frieda, who wanted to find a way to raise money for Great Ormand Street Children's Hospital, and will see lots of respected names in the industry donate prizes for the people who raise the most money.

"John is someone I admire and respect so once I understood what he had in mind I wanted to be involved. For my part, I have donated some of my time to the winner and it will be tailor-designed to be creative or business education or whatever the winner thinks will be best for them.

"But of course the biggest focus for me right now is the new salon, which is on schedule to open in three weeks' time.

The team have now started their inductions, we have clients booking appointments, the local marketing has started and it is all looking so beautiful, so we're in a happy place!

"I'm going to be doing two days a week in the salon with clients and the rest of my work will continue in the normal vein, with anything from shoots to shows and seminars and, of course, my media work, so it's all exciting stuff right now!"