A Southport hair salon has:- "ample free parking outside!"

A modern zen feel hair salon has opened its doors in Birkdale in Southport, with ample free parking outside. MiSalon, on Everton Road, is owned by Angie Ingham, who is delighted to open her 1st business. She is joined by fellow stylist Alex Graves; with the 2 of them supported by Angie's very popular dog Sparky!

Angie said:- "I am delighted to now be open! I have taken over a former salon on the corner of Everton Road and Vaughan Road. We have been open now for the past month, It has been brilliant! We have seen lots of clients from the previous salon, lots of neighbours, and we want to reach out to people further afield. We offer unisex hair styling, colouring, perming, cut and blow dry, and more. Or why not add a bit of colour to your hair this summer with our Chroma ID colours available in bold or pastel shades, or with our new amazing express colour washes? All our hair colour services include a Schwarzkopf Hair Sealer treatment to lock in colour for longer and shinier results. We also offer chemical straightening. We are also doing an opening offer of 10% off all services at the moment and have an OAP special discount of 20% off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We have a Loyalty Reward Card which, after 6 visits, provides customers with ₤10 off their seventh service. We can also come out to local homes or workplaces to carry out mandatory skin tests in preparation for a colour. This only takes a 2nd. Now I just want to be able to put MiSalon on the map! I want people to know that we are here for their hair appointments."

Angie, 44, is a classically trained hairdresser, while Alex, 24, has modern techniques. The two are a great combination who offer a wide range of styles between them. Sparky usually relaxes in the corner while the girls are hard at work.

Angie, who is double Covid vaccinated, said:- "We are both excellent stylists, we pride ourselves in listening to our clients' hair needs and are happy to offer advice and help. We aren't scissor happy! We have redecorated the place since we reopened; it is looking really good! We have got a fluorescent pink fireplace, which we call our 'Instagram Wall' it is a good backdrop for photos for people when they have had their hair done! We have got loads of free parking right outside the door which is really popular with customers. If anyone has 'lockdown hair' then please don't be embarrassed, we have ALL been in the same boat! Let us help you to figure out what your new style may be."

Angie, who was born and bred in Southport, trained as a hairdresser and has been enjoying doing mobile hairdressing for the past few years, alongside another job. This is her 1st salon. She said:- "MiSalon is my 1st business! I worked for the RSPB for 9 years, in stock control. But then I was made redundant. I thought 'what am I going to do'? I was looking for a hair salon to work in when I found this place for sale. It was a great opportunity to run my own business doing something that I love."
 

Fire and Rescue Service praised by Ofsted inspectors for producing some of the best and most highly skilled firefighters in the country

MERSEYSIDE Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) is celebrating after being commended by Ofsted Inspectors for producing some of the best and most highly skilled firefighters in the country. The education watchdog visited MFRS' Training and Development Academy (TDA) in June as part of a monitoring visit. In a report published this week, inspectors said the Service had made:- "significant progress" in all areas; the highest judgement a provider can receive. MFRS 1st began delivering firefighter apprenticeships in September 2019. The Service currently has 93 apprentices who are studying the level 3 operational firefighter apprenticeship standard. Apprentices begin their career on a 15 week recruit course at the TDA, where they learn how to deal with a variety of incidents through fire behaviour training, road traffic collision training, safe working at height, water rescue, terrorism and Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) training.

Inspectors recognised the:- "unwavering intention of governors and leaders to produce the best operational firefighters in the country. Leaders and managers have developed an ambitious and challenging curriculum" to ensure their apprentices develop:- "substantial knowledge, skills and behaviours beyond the requirements of the apprenticeship."

In her report, lead Inspector Kim Bleasdale said:- "Apprentices routinely develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours. They learn how to skilfully manage marauding terrorist attacks, as well as a wide range of chemical, biological and radiological incidents. Apprentices become highly skilled, confident firefighters who are making a difference in their community."

The report adds that MFRS instructors are highly experienced and well qualified in the roles, with extra support given to enable them to continually update their occupational knowledge and skills. Ashley Roberts, Apprenticeship Manager at MFRS, said:- "Our apprentices are at the heart of what we deliver to our communities. We pride ourselves on training our firefighters to the highest standard and the Ofsted inspection report shows that what we are doing is the best practice."

The report comes as the 1st cohort of firefighter apprentices completed their end point assessment with a 100% pass rate and 89% distinction. Apprentices from Course 03/19 had a gruelling 2 day external assessment involving:- road traffic collision, breathing apparatus and HAZMAT, followed by a written exam and professional discussion. Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan said:- "Our vision is to be the best fire and rescue service in the country, and that means having the very best people at our core to help us to keep our communities safe. Receiving 'significant progress' across all three areas of this Ofsted inspection is extremely rare, especially when we only commenced the firefighter apprenticeship programme less than 2 years ago. To say I am extremely proud is an understatement as I know how hard staff have worked to get us to this point. This inspection is testament not only to our staff and instructors at the Training and Development Academy, the teams who continue to develop their skills on station but of course to our apprentice firefighters themselves, because without their passion and eagerness to learn, this would not be possible. This inspection reinforces further our progress towards our ambition to be the best; for the public and our workforce; because not only does it assure us that we have competent firefighters looking after the public, but that they are also very well equipped to look after each other."

MFRS offers apprenticeships across the majority of its departments, ranging from business administration to operational firefighter. To find out more about apprenticeships at MFRS and how they can help you, visit:- MerseyFire.Gov.UK. It is worth adding that MFRS also provide smoke alarms free of charge to those over 65 or meeting certain criteria. To find out if you are eligible or for free fire safety advice, please call MFRS on:- 08007315958.