Doncaster stylist who quit contact centre for salon bids to be named UK hairdresser of the year

Bobbee Hunt, who runs Bawtry’s Craft Hair, is up for the prestigious prize in the third Nation’s Hair & Beauty Awards.

And the salon owner has described being shortlisted for the honour as ‘amazing’ – and a far cry from his previous role.

He said: “I retrained in hairdressing at the age of 37 at Doncaster College after a successful career in contact centre management for 20 years.

"Hairdressing has always been something that I felt inspired by and was something I desperately wanted to be a part of.

"Being relatively new to the industry, it feels amazing for people to go out of their way and nominate me and makes me feel that the services I offer really make a difference.”

Bobbee offers a range of services including cutting for both men and women, hair colouring and Olaplex Hair treatments.

Describing his Bawtry salon, he added: “I’ve been there for 18 months now.

“We have a beautiful Grade II listed building and we offer a range of services including hair, make-up, beauty treatments, laser hair removal and aesthetic beauty treatments.

"Over the last few years I have been working hard to grow my business and take huge pride in offering a safe and friendly environment for people from all backgrounds to enjoy.

"My motto is when you sit in my chair to have your hair done you can be anything you want to be.”

The glamorous awards ceremony will take place in Birmingham in July.

A spokesperson for The Nation’s Hair and Beauty Awards, said: “The awards will shine the spotlight on the talented professionals that have shown great passion, commitment and innovation for the beauty industry, who often don’t get the recognition they deserve.

“The black tie event will provide a great platform to the beauty experts to showcase their brilliant work, reach potential clients and give to the protagonists the exposure they need to expand their business in this competitive sector.

“With fierce competition this year, we would like to wish to the finalists the best of luck and we can’t wait to welcome our guests and deliver another enjoyable event.”