Preston barbers hoping to be cut above rest

The Gents Room Barbershop, based above Jo and Cass in Fishergate, has been nominated for the fourth year running for the accolade.

The prize is barbershop of the year for the north of England in the English Hair and Beauty Awards, with the winner to be announced at a ceremony next month.

Barber Theo Petrocelli has also been nominated for the best gents stylist of the year award.

John Monks, who set up the business in 2011, said: “This is the fourth year running we’ve been nominated, but we’ve not won yet.

“It’s down to customers - they’ve nominated us.

“The first time we were nominated we had only been trading for a couple of years, and the fact we didn’t win it didn’t really matter.”

John, 55, has been a barber since he left school, apart from time out to teach hairdressing, and said he set up the business “from nothing”.

He said the team was feeling positive about winning and said: “We are a high-end barbers and we’ve got really prestigious premises.”
He said the barbers offered a range of services and said: “The customer is our focus.”
John and the team will go to Manchester to an awards ceremony next month, where they will find out if they have won.

He said: “We are feeling hopeful this year, we’ve got a really good team of people - there are five of us all together.”

The team has exhibited on stage at Barber Connect - a major exhibition within the barbering industry. And last year, two of the barbers went to V Festival and Creamfields, where they were cutting hair.