Amble barber hoping for third time lucky with reopening plan

Dawn Robinson opened Headmasters on Queen Street last October, a fortnight before the second national lockdown began.

She was able to open for four weeks in December before more Covid-19 restrictions and the third national lockdown started.

Now, she is excited at the prospect of reopening from April 12 if the roadmap to recovery goes to plan.

“I can’t wait,” admitted Dawn, who plans to extend her opening hours to cater for all those desperately in need of a haircut.

She took the plunge to open her own salon having worked as a barber for 18 years.

“I’m 40 next year and I decided it was now or never,” she said. “I’ve got a five-year-old daughter, Connie, and I wanted to have some firm foundations in place for the next few years.”

However, it has been a rollercoaster start.

"It’s been a difficult time, as it has been for the whole country, but especially so after the business got off to such a great start before the November lockdown,” she admitted.

That initial success persuaded her to employ a friend, Tracey Baston, as her first member of staff for reopening in December.

“We had a fantastic month so I knew I had made the right choice but then we ended up in Tier4 before lockdown again,” she recalled. “But we had so much support from our clients old and new and we are so thankful.”

To mark reopening, she has decided to run a competition to find the best and worst lockdown haircuts on the business’s Facebook page.

All you have to do is send a picture of your lockdown covid cut by March 26 and the best and worst will be independently judged.

The winners will be announced on March 29 and receive a free correction haircut and a free Morgan’s Pomade styling product.

Dawn said: “We wanted to give something back to the community – and have a little bit of fun – after what’s been such a tough time.”

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