A hair salon in north Cumbria is delighted to be celebrating it's 12th birthday.

Salon-Rouge Hair-Penrith first was set by Tanya Tinkler, who said the business has come on leaps and bounds since its early days.

However, things haven't always been plain sailing and Tanya admits that the past 16 months have been the toughest she has experienced at the hair salon.

"It's not just a case of shutting your doors one day and then re-opening them the next.

"It's really hard every time that we have to re-open, but our clients are amazing and they make it worth it."

Just as with many businesses across the country, hair salons and barbers have had to cope with shutting their doors for months on end due to the Covid-19 pandemic - something Tanya said must have been difficult for clients as well.

She added: "We're a lot more than just hairdressers nowadays.

"Some ladies come every week and we're they're the only people they see and speak to.

"We support our clients in a lot ore ways than just doing their hair. Just having a conversation with them often helps if they've got something going on in their life."

Again, just as other businesses have, Tanya said the hair salon has had to adapt over the course of the pandemic.

As the salon leaps another hurdle and reaches its 12th year, she added that the business continues to be a rewarding learning process

She said: "As a business owner, you have to be open to seeing your faults as well as your positives.

"My drive is to have a better impact on peoples' lives and I can do that as a hairdresser."

Visit www.salonrougepenrith.co.uk.