Clock launches awards

DEC 2007: Multiple hairdressing champion Marcia Johnson met the next generation of winners when she returned to her alma mater, the College of North West London, to present awards.

Salon owner Marcia was the guest speaker at the College’s Annual Awards Ceremony at Willesden – and it was a special pleasure for her to meet hairdressing prizewinners Melissa El-Banna and Deuzilene (Lennie) Coutinho.   Melissa, 21, is a regional champion and won the Aston & Fincher Hairdressing Award for excellence, while Lennie collected an Outstanding Achievement Award despite English not being her first language.   Marcia also gave a big hug to the man she called “my main inspiration” – head of hairdressing Peter Stonebanks, who first encouraged her to enter competitions in 2002.   The College’s main centre is at Willesden, but the hairdressing salon is based in one of two blocks at Wembley Park. In September it relocated 200 yards nearer to Wembley Park tube station when it transferred from the College’s Crescent House block to its Arena House block, pending redevelopment of Crescent House.   Before presenting prizes, Marcia delighted her audience with a colourful ‘hairfest’ display of some of her prizewinning avant-garde hair styles, including the five-foot tall Harlesden Jubilee clock hairpiece which now has pride of place in her shop Rougz in Finchley Road, Hampstead.   The red, black and gold creation was something she always wanted to copy because she has lived in Harlesden for 20 years and always admired the clock, said Marcia, who explained that it was built in 1888 to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.   Earlier she told her audience, who included Brent MPs Sarah Teather and Dawn Butler and the Mayor of Brent Cllr Harshad Patel: “Follow your dreams and always believe in yourself.   “The College has helped me turn my dreams into reality. My being at the College gave me the confidence, the experience and the vision to move forward with my dream, which was to open my own salon.   “It was all my tutors at the College who pushed me in the right direction, and it has all paid off now with hard work and determination, and of course dedication.” Marcia, who has two children, admitted that before she qualified in Hairdressing NVQ2 and NVQ3, she had two false starts. She enrolled at the College twice in the 1990s and for personal reasons she had to drop out – once because of problems with childcare, and once because she was too far behind to catch up.   But she added: “The third time I was so determined, I really focussed myself on getting my qualifications – I cut right down on my social activities and concentrated on my studies. Now it is an absolute pleasure to see all my certificates and trophies around the salon.”   Nearly 80 awards were presented, including nine special awards and 35 Higher Education and Professional awards.   Marcia has won eight national hair awards, including five this year, and opened her own salon a year ago. She studied Hairdressing NVQ2 and NVQ3 at CNWL from 2002-2004 and won her first award in 2002 and was also Student of the Year 2002.

Stylists scoop five firsts

FEB 2008: HAIRDRESSING students from the College of North West London performed another hair-raising feat when five of them scooped first prizes at the annual AHT southern regional championships in Bexley.

The Wembley Park salon that has produced many regional and national champions proved they were among the best hairdressers in the UK, with five firsts, two seconds and one third place in six categories – and all of the winners will go forward to the national finals in Blackpool on March 17.   Youngest star among the first prize winners was Leanne Smith, a 16-year-old pupil of Queen’s Park Community School in Kilburn. She was one of four Year 11 pupils who entered the school links creative bridal category, working on wigs on polystyrene blocks instead of real models.   QPCS is one of many Brent and Harrow schools that send pupils aged 14-16 to the College one half day a week for vocational study. QPCS teacher Paul Vickery accompanied the group both as College liaison officer and as a former A-grade photography student at CNWL who is now the College’s photographer-in-residence.     Said Paul: “I am thrilled to bits and the school is over the moon. This is a really big deal for us. To get to the national finals is amazing. I knew Leanne was good and she has confidence in her own ability – they were allowed 45 minutes and she finished after 25 minutes - but to win takes it to another level.”   Sole male champion was Ameer Raja, 19, a Level 2 student from Harrow, who won 1st prize in the men’s commercial category. Ameer formerly worked at Artisan and Tony & Guy’s salons in Harrow but decided he needed written qualifications.   He enrolled at CNWL last September, and plans to do Level 3 next year. He said: “When we were waiting for the results, it was quite nerve-wracking and your heart is beating really fast, but it was a fantastic day. We were like a family.”   Ameer’s model was one of his mates, 18-year-old Oliver Gattas. But now Oliver has gone travelling to Thailand as part of his gap year, so Ameer is desperately searching for a new model for the finals. The other first prize winners were Nordia Harwood from Wembley (Afro-Caribbean category) - pictured left - Melissa El-Banna (Level 3 skills challenge) and Deuzilene “Lennie” Coutinho (ladies evening category).   Melissa, 21, was a first prize winner last year and a runner-up the year before. But the skills challenge was a brand new contest for 2008, involving cutting and colouring before the day and creating two looks, for day and evening, in one hour.   Said Melissa: “I’m really glad to have set this new standard in my last year at College. I worked really hard preparing, but I could not have done it without the support of my tutors.”     Lennie, who was voted CNWL hairdressing Student of the Year last November, did not enter the AHT contest last year because she was too afraid. She said: “I just went for the experience this year. I can’t believe I won.”   In previous years, the largest number of firsts won by the College has been two. The Association of Hairdressers and Therapists is the most prestigious challenge for trainee stylists in the country, involving dozens of colleges of further education.   “We are ecstatic, because these are our best results ever,” said head of hairdressing Peter Stonebanks. “We have some outstandingly talented students this year, but I’m sure they were also inspired by the successes of our past champions, including Marcia Johnson from Harlesden, who was the guest speaker at the College’s annual awards ceremony last November.”

                  ANGEL J

                  Angelic voice has graced weddings

Third Miss Caribbean & Commonwealth Final

Fashion, charity events and vocal backing

Angel J, who will be performing at her third Miss Caribbean & Commonwealth final, has sung for a number of years at fashion shows and charity events, and has provided vocal backing for various artistes. She has participated in community events in which she has served on the judging panel for youth singing and dance competitions.

Angel J is a specialist Wedding Singer whose angelic voice (hence her name) has graced a number of weddings.

Readers can check out Angel j on

myspace.com/angel54321