The Fellowship for British Hairdressing has named Manchester-based HOST as its fifth Centre of Excellence. HOST, co-founded by Sarah Louise Keane and Peter Tobolski, combines a salon space with facilities for education and industry events.
This designation recognises HOST as a key venue for the Fellowship's hairdressing and barbering training programmes. The recent launch event featured demonstrations from Fellowship All Stars like Bekki Delehedy and Jordan Heyes, showcasing techniques informed by medieval and punk grunge aesthetics. Discussions also covered career advice, social media, and the benefits of Fellowship involvement, with contributions from industry figures such as Alan Beak and Annie Franklin.
Melissa Timperley Education and James Parr also presented cutting demonstrations. Peter Tobolski stated that the Centre of Excellence status provides HOST with greater opportunities to support the industry and its users. HOST is now accessible to Fellowship members, offering them full use of its facilities, rentable workspaces, and invitations to exclusive events.
This expansion of the Fellowship's Centre of Excellence network into Manchester signifies a commitment to broadening its educational reach. The model of integrating a working salon with dedicated training space appears successful, but the long-term impact on member engagement and skill development across these five centres remains a developing narrative.
