Tottenham hairdresser comes out on top

8:40am Saturday 26th July 2008

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A Tottenham hairdressing student proved she was a cut above average after winning gold in a London-wide competition.

Michelle Gooden, 34, a mature student at the College of North East London (CoNEL), beat off stiff competition to claim gold in the World Skills Challenge.

More than 20 hairdressing students from across London pulled out their scissors and went head-to-head in June. Their brief was to produce two styles, a men’s haircut in the barbering category and a glamourous female up-do.

With the clocks ticking, competitors had to work under pressure to produce distinctive styles, and it was Michelle’s handiwork that came out on top.

Michelle, of Albert Road, said: “There is a certain amount of pressure to do your best in a short space of time but I felt reasonably confident and quite calm. There was one moment of panic when I got there and realised I didn’t have the model I thought I would have. But it feels great to win.”

After having her daughter, Michelle decided not to return to work and instead enrolled on a course in hairdressing. And while she studies her four-year-old girl attends the nursery at the college in High Road, Tottenham.

She now plans to open her own salon once she has completed her course.

She said: “I’m aiming to set up my own business so that I can choose when I work to fit in with my family commitments. My qualifications, and this recognition, will give me a strong foundation to do that. And having the nursey on site makes it all the more convenient.

Michelle’s lecturer, Lydia Karekedou, said: “We are extremely proud of Michelle’s achievement. She’s a talented and hard-working student, who fully deserves this recognition.”