NOW with 22 years’ experience under her belt, it was October 2020 when Katie Walsh’s own hair salon opened its doors on Prestatyn’s High Street.

Only for restrictions, firebreaks and lockdowns – words synonymous with that hellish year now – to somewhat sap any early momentum.

But if it was a stop-start beginning, opening for two weeks before closing, “Katie Walsh Hair” is certainly making a name for itself now. Suitable for all aspects of hairdressing, and specialising in advanced colour transformations, Katie and her team have even been lucky enough to style for fashion shows, magazines, brands and more.

A personal highlight for Katie, who lives in Trelawnyd but has spent much of her career in Prestatyn, was working at Cheshire Fashion Week in November, a “star-studded event” which she felt honoured to be a part of.

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She said: “Cheshire Fashion Week was huge – it’s quite a star-studded event, and we did about 80 models in three hours.

“I’ve been doing a lot of show and magazine work since I was about 15, but that was the first time I got to take a team out, which was amazing because they got their first step into it.

“They’ve booked us again this year, and I’m doing the hair for the organiser’s wedding!

“It was nice to show my team how you work under show conditions; they’re very different from a normal setting; very high-pressured.”

As well as recently being featured in “Brides” magazine, the team also took part in a risqué calendar shoot for the Whale Tails project in Prestatyn, while Katie’s also organised a “body-positive campaign” .

This is aimed as a response to some “nastiness from trolls” which, in tandem with other businesses from the region, she hopes will offer an inspiring message.

Money raised from the campaign, she added, will also go to the Whale Tails, which would see six 2.4m-high whale tail sculptures, acting as recycling bins and made of weathering steel, placed along Prestatyn’s promenade.

Katie added: “We proudly took part in the Whales Tails campaign - this was one of the first times we were the ones in front of the camera; not behind it - for now! Something special is coming very soon.

“We’re working with a local graphic designer, Midnight Lettering Co (Prestatyn), and Perham Prints (Rhyl), which are making a range of t-shirts which are ever so slightly tongue-in-cheek but empowering.”

Katie Walsh Hair, 110 High Street, LL19 9BH, Prestatyn.

For more information, go to: www.facebook.com/katiewalshhairsalon.

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