A woman who set up a beauty salon with £150 left to her in her grandmother’s will said it was the “best decision she ever made” as she celebrates 50 years in business.
Helen was 21 in 1975 when she used her legacy – worth about £1,170 in today’s money – to realise her dream of running her own salon.
She said it only “feels like yesterday” when she opened Cheadle Beauty Salon in Cheshire and that she still has some of her original clients.
Helen, whose son and daughter also work at the salon, said some of her staff had worked there for 25 years. She said the business was “like home to me” and wants to carry on “as long as I can [because it] means everything to me”.
The grandmother-of-six told North West Tonight her clients had included Coronation Street stars.
“I love it – I don’t make a fortune but I enjoy what I do,” added Helen. “That’s important isn’t it?”
She said the years had simply flown by.
“I just don’t believe it because it just feels like yesterday that I started,” she said.
She said she had no plans to put her feet up anytime soon.
“I’d like to keep going for at least another 10 years and I hope that [either] my son who is a physio here or my daughter who works with me would take it over.”