Chichester salon celebrates the year with QFest 2024

QFest has become a very important occasion and this summer’s much-anticipated annual gathering took place on Sunday, August 11, at local luxury boutique, Harbour Hotel, Chichester, attended by the teams of the three-strong salon group who also celebrated 52 years of independent business

Since opening its doors over five decades ago by owner Anthony Barnes-Smith, Q has been Chichester’s leading salon group, winning numerous prestigious national awards

Following on from previous years, special guests were welcomed, with a full and lively schedule for the day. Kicking off the agenda was an inspirational presentation by locally-based national assistance dog charity Canine Partners.

One of these invaluable dogs was there to demonstrate how they are trained to support people with disabilities by performing a wide range of tasks, helping them in a variety of ways and boosting individuals’ confidence so they can enjoy life to the full.

Having raised over £2500 for the charity, that has granted Q the opportunity to sponsor a puppy called Nita who will transform someone’s life in the future, a cheque was presented to Ali Sole, Community Fundraiser for Canine Partners by Dawn Lawrence, director at Q Hair and Beauty.

A raffle on the day, with items donated by Q and several local businesses, raised an impressive £500 for the charity.

Next came a talk by Kain Lawrence, managing director of Q Hair and Beauty, and chief executive Dawn Lawrence, looking forward to the year ahead.

The next speaker, Tony Tremain, director of Meevo UK from US salon software Meevo by Millennium, delivered a fascinating tips and tricks session on how to make the system work for you - working smarter, not harder.

After a lunch break there was a high-energy session from Francoise Drew who got everyone

up and moving, with a focus on posture and body position and movement, invaluable in an industry notorious for bad posture and all-day standing.

The final presentation was from Katie Greenwood, local area manager for Clarins UK. Katie has worked with Q for over ten years, seeing it become an official Clarins Gold salon, one of 80 in the whole of the UK, all the way through to a Clarins-led beauty brand covering three salons.

Then came the annual salon awards. Most Improved Stylist - Acer Mepham; Most Improved Beauty Therapist - Eve Barber; Stylist of the Year - Stefano Sbuttoni; Beauty Therapist of the year - Chloe Grace; Apprentice of the year - Millie Creighton-Moore; Colour Specialist of the year - Lucia Jackson; Highest Performer of the year - Natasha Lee; Team member of the year - Bella Thwaites; Team choice award - Tilly Prince; Special recognition award - Gina Arnell and Sue Cassey.

Then it was time to switch into party mode and celebrate everyone’s success from the past 12 months, with a DJ, dancing and cocktails.

Managing Director Kain Lawrence said “QFest has elevated to become the highlight in our calendar for our team. Recognising their successes while also treating everyone to both practical and inspiring sessions through carefully thought-out guests. This year did not disappoint having been a really enjoyable day, and of course, who doesn’t like to relax and enjoy everyone’s company”.