A keeper of confidences

Flora couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t wanted to be a hairdresser. From doing her dolls’ hair to her mum’s, through styling her friends’ hair to taking an apprenticeship, getting her first job in a salon and becoming a senior stylist, hairdressing was her passion.

For her, there was no better feeling than watching a client leave the salon with a big smile and a great hairdo, especially if they’d arrived looking down and bedraggled.

Like all problems, it was made worse by not being shared

After she’d worked in a few salons and had her three children, Flora went freelance, hairdressing for clients in their own homes. She’d built up a clientele of loyal customers. Most were retired, some worked from home, others had mobility problems.

It was hard work carrying all her gear from house to house, and it could be fiddly to book everyone in around her family commitments and her clients’ needs, but all