A ROSS-ON-WYE hairdresser has been named in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in after she was named one of the world's best hairdressers.

Phoebe Mclavy, a hairdresser at Reds Hair Company in Ross-on-Wye, has been made a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for her success at WorldSkills Kazan 2019, known as the "Skills Olympics".

The WorldSkills Competition, which takes place every two years in locations around the globe, sees young people from 80 countries compete in a range of vocational and technical skills.

Phoebe, who represented the UK in Hairdressing, was named one of the world's best hairdressers when she was awarded the bronze medal at WorldSkills Kazan 2019.

She was trained for the competition by Linzi Weare, salon director and manager at Reds Hair Company, who herself represented the UK in hairdressing at WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

Speaking after the list was made public, Phoebe said: "It is such an honour to be awarded a BEM. I couldn't quite believe it when I received the letter.

"Winning the Bronze medal in Hairdressing at WorldSkills Kazan 2019 was such a fantastic experience, it meant the world to me and helped me secure my job at Reds Hair, to be recognised for this achievement is just brilliant.

"Through my continued involvement with WorldSkills UK, I am assisting with the training of the Squad for WorldSkills Shanghai 2021, the next competition, I am determined to inspire more young people to achieve their career goals."

Linzi Weare added: "We are over the moon for Phoebe, it is brilliant to see her receive the national recognition in honour of her skills. At Reds we aim to deliver a world-class service to all of our clients and working alongside Phoebe has been a fantastic experience, she is a true inspiration for all our staff."

The UK's entry into WorldSkills is managed by WorldSkills UK, an independent education and skills charity which works to raise standards in apprenticeships and technical education.

Linzi Weare volunteers as the training manager for hairdressing and is responsible for training the UK's best young hairdressers to compete in the global competition, with the next competition taking place in Shanghai, China in 2021.

Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, chief executive, WorldSkills UK said: "It is fantastic to see Phoebe recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

"Her success on the world stage, in front of a global audience, sent a strong message that we are developing excellence in skills so that the UK is seen as a world-class place to invest, do business and create jobs.

"We are extremely proud of Phoebe's achievements and we look forward to continuing working with her, using her inspirational story and know-how to tackle vocational snobbery head-on so more young people and their parents see apprenticeships and technical education as a prestigious route to success in work and life."