Barbers of the year crowned at 2016 barber of the year contest

On Friday 17^th June, Middleton Hall at the centre:mk saw the best of Milton Keynes’s barbers go head-to-head for the 2016 Barber of the Year contest. In front of a busy and lively audience, both student and professional finalists were put to the test, taking centre stage to demonstrate their skills before being assessed by a panel of expert judges made up of Simon Shaw and 5ive from Wahl UK Ltd, alongside Joth Davies of Savills Barbers. Claiming the overall title after a close contest were Victoria Starkey from the Professional category and Joe Patterson from the Student stylists. Speaking after the event, Natasha Freeman, Marketing & Communications Officer from Wahl (UK) Ltd was glowing in her praise for the event and the competitors. She said: “We were delighted to be a part of the Barber of the Year/Stars of the Future event, which had been so meticulously organised and executed by the staff of Milton Keynes College. All of the participants involved in the event truly are stars of the future.” MK College’s Head of School for Hair Beauty and Hospitality, Maria Bowness, was equally pleased with the event. She said: “This year’s Barber of the Year contest has certainly built on the success of last year’s inaugural contest and we’re delighted with the event. “Thanks to the support of Wahl and the judging panel, we’ve seen some amazingly talented barbers given the perfect platform to show their skills and demonstrate what it takes to be a top-class barber. “It will be inspirational to see where this year’s contestants go from here as they all clearly have bags of potential and outstanding ability – congratulations to them all.” Milton Keynes College provides a wide variety of hairdressing and barbering qualifications, in addition to apprenticeships, offering the perfect route into an enjoyable and long-lasting career.