SECOND generation stylist Jodie Cox has fulfilled a dream by opening her own salon after the lockdown provided her with an unexpected opportunity.

She told the Adver: "I’ve found lockdown to be very disheartening and it just happened by chance I saw a spot in the Cheney Manor Industrial Estate was up for rent. I thought it was a brilliant opportunity and I just went for it,” she said.

“I’ve always wanted to be my own boss, I’ve been self-employed for the past two years but I knew eventually I would like to own my own salon.

“When you’re your own boss you always push yourself more because it’s your own business, it’s your brand. It is a competitive market and you want to stand out.” Hairdressing is something that runs in the blood - her mum Lavinia has been in the industry for more than forty years.

Jodie said: “My mum, like me, started at a young age of 18. She now owns her own salon in Salisbury, she had turned her house into a business. That’s where I started out as an apprentice 10 years ago and she taught me everything.

“I got myself qualified and then started working at Jessica’s Hair and Beauty for four years. I built my clientele up and I wanted to do my own thing and work for myself so I started saving up.

“And being based in the industrial estate is great because there are other businesses around you so when people go to visit one of them it helps promote the companies around it,” she said.

Opening a business at any time can be hit or miss but doing it in the middle of a pandemic presents even more of a challenge.

But Jodie couldn’t wait, she said: "My first day of being open was brilliant." “We have to have one person at a time, so in this situation and working to your own hours and alone it works perfectly.

“I make sure that all my clients are safe by sanitising my hands regularly and their hands when they come in and when they leave. I’ve ordered signs which have been put up asking people to follow the guidelines and wear a mask.”

Customers will also have to postpone their appointment for 14 days if they feel unwell. Jodie will wear PPE which includes a face mask, face shield, a disposable apron and gloves.

She plans to stage a special celebration at a later date to mark the launch. For more information visit facebook.com/jodieannshairdressing