Photo - Alan Mak MP meets Julie Parham, owner of the popular Purbrook salon
Popular Purbrook hairdressers Cut ‘n’ Dry have backed Havant MP Alan Mak’s inaugural Havant Small Business Awards. The News is the media partner.
Mak visited the Purbrook family business as the salon takes an early lead as public nominations flood in. Voting remains open until 1st April for News readers to nominate your favourite local small businesses across twelve categories.
Ahead of the voting deadline, Mak took the opportunity to visit the much-loved hairdressers on London Road. Having served local residents for nearly thirty years, Cut ‘n’ Dry have seen a stream of nominations across categories including Best Family-Run Business and Personality of the Year 2016 for long-time owner Julie Parham.
Mr Mak met Julie who has received a stream of tributes from life-long customers and residents during the nomination process. Cut ‘n’ Dry remain a proudly family-oriented business: Julie’s father Roy is still employed as cleaner, and Saturday helpers come almost exclusively from the children of long-term staff members.
Praised for its competitive prices, friendly atmosphere, and contributions to the local community, Cut ‘n’ Dry have also become early front-runners in the race for Havant Small Business of the Year Award – the overall prize that will be presented at the awards ceremony at South Downs College on Friday 29th April.
With thirteen awards on offer on the night, and guest speakers including Ella’s Kitchen founder and multi-millionaire entrepreneur Paul Lindley, the evening will be a great opportunity to celebrate the strength of small businesses and individual enterprise around Havant.
Following his visit to Cut ‘n’ Dry, Havant MP Alan Mak said: “It was a pleasure to meet Julie and see first-hand this great family business in action. To have served local customers in Purbrook and Havant for nearly thirty years is a fantastic achievement.”
Mak added: “It is great to see so many wonderful local firms being recognised by our community as nominations come in thick and fast for the Havant Small Business Awards. Having worked in my own family’s small business on the high street I know how much work goes into many them a success, and I urge residents to continue sending in their nominations”.
Cut ‘n’ Dry owner Julie Parham commented: “It was great to see Alan at our family-run salon as our local MP. I’m fully behind the Havant Small Business Awards, and to be honest, we’re a little overwhelmed with all the nominations and messages of support that have been coming in, which is really lovely.”
Ms Parham added: “It has always been important for us to keep the local community coming through the doors, and talking to our customers is a key part of what we’ve done here over the past thirty years. I think the Havant Small Business Awards are a great initiative by Alan to celebrate our local area, and prove that it has a lot to offer in terms of skills, work ethic and enterprising spirit.”
Nominations for the Havant Small Business Awards 2016 close on 1st April and can be made via Alan’s official website: www.alanmak.org.uk.