APPRENTICE Bedale barber Lucy Gamblen beat the best in the region to win a place in the national finals of the barbering awards.

Lucy, 17 has only been training at the town’s G Clark’s Barbers for a year but already she’s well on the way to mastering the skills of the trade.

Boss Gary Clarke said he knew she would do well in the competition.

He said: “She’s doing fantastically. She has built up her skills from nothing when she came.

"Lucy is so committed and keen. She has just gone from strength to strength through her passion for the work and for her dedication to the clients.

"She was competing against some of the most skilled people across the region and she came out top, it’s brilliant. It’s also a real feather in the cap for the shop."

Mr Clarke carries out the training in house. He has been there all his working life, starting 14 years ago when he was still at school, and took over the business three years ago.

Lucy is now a national finalist in the Barbering Apprentice Award and will find out how she has done on January 10 next year.