A FISHCROSS hairdresser has been crowned The Hair Council UK Student of the Year 2014.

Tara Walls (17), an apprentice at the Stirling branch of Rainbow Room International, was chosen for the amazing accolade during a ceremony down in London.

It was a fantastic achievement for the former St Modan’s High School pupil, who said: “I wanted to get more experience, wanted to go in for more competitions and wanted to get my name out there. I was also looking for a new challenge.” After months of hard work, photographic images, interviews and presentations at L’Oreal Professional studios in London, with judging by British Hairdresser of the Year nominees Gary Hooker and Michael Young of Hooker & Young at the renowned Salon International, Tara was named the winning student.

Tara, whose salon name is Angel, was delighted to be awarded the title and said “it was the best experience of my life”.

She said, “They announced it on stage. Everyone had to come out with their model and you had to explain your model and where your inspiration came from.

“I was ecstatic, I was amazed. It was the best feeling ever.” The teenager is also set to feature in the new BBC Scotland fly-on-the-wall documentary series ‘Do Or Dye: Hair Academy’ where they spend a year-in-the-life-of a group of student’s at Scotland’s biggest hairdressing training academy; Rainbow Room International.

In this four part series the BBC Scotland production team follow five students from Rainbow Room International through the ups and downs of salon life as they take their first steps in their career towards becoming top stylists, working in the glamorous, but competitive, hairdressing industry.

Tara, who is grateful to her mum, dad and mentor Jayla for their support, is also due to finish her apprenticeship early next year and hopes to specialise in either colouring or barbering.

She is looking forward to continue in the career she fell in love with at the age of 14, after she took a job as an assistant in an Alloa salon.

She said, “All I had done was literally sweep hair and I said to my mum, ‘I love it, this is what I want to do, completely.’”