Reaching the final of a national awards to find the country's best new beauty salon has brought lockdown joy to its owner and staff.

Brava in Stalham, which opened in November 2019, reached the final of 'best new salon' at the Hair and Beauty Awards with the final set to take place in March this year.

Sadly, owner Catherine Rust expects the ceremony to take place online, however it has still been a massive lift for the business which has been in and out of lockdowns for a long period of its existence.

She said: "I have a feeling they're going to do it all online and it's not going to be an actual award ceremony which is a bit annoying, but it's great recognition for the salon.

"It's been amazing to be fair, we've been very lucky, I've been in the industry a few years now and even though we've had a pandemic we're still progressing really well as a team.

"I'm really proud of it and also of all the girls who work with me, because it's a nice boost for them.

"Everyone has felt a bit down at the moment and the thing I've noticed most as an owner is the need to keep my girls' morale up. This is such a big thing and when it came through it was amazing for them and for all of us, it's made a big difference to how we're feeling."

Despite the pandemic Ms Rust says the salon is still growing, with new members of staff set to join once lockdown ends.

During lockdown she has used the time to create a loyalty scheme for the business to thank clients who Ms Rust says have stuck with the salon throughout the pandemic.

She is also training to become an educator so that the business can teach those new to the industry as well as putting the finishing touches to a new flower wall to brighten up the salon interior.