Who are we?

Hello and welcome. My name is Mavis Astley and my main job is providing sales leads for insurance companies. However for most of my life I've been a hairdresser. I created this website partly because it's something I've always wanted to do, and partly because my boss at Prudent Plus Limited thought it might be a good idea! Anyway, here is my potted autobiography:

I first went into hairdressing more than 50 years ago. Hairstyles were a lot different then than they are now! I was a young bride and money was tight but I was lucky enough to be taken on as an apprentice by a busy salon in Stockport in Cheshire. I was working with some wonderful and very talented people. The problem was, however, that the salon was on a shopping precinct that was in terminal decline owing to redevelopments; one after another our regular clients came in to tell us, some tearfully, that they were having to move out of the area and would no longer be able to visit us. Eventually the shop had to close, and we were all made redundant.

This was my first and only experience of working for someone else. Although most of it was a happy experience it made me realise that life sometimes is not as secure as we would like it to be.

Fortunately my husband Tim was very supportive and although we were not very well off he bought me enough equipment to set up my own mobile business. We placed hundreds of advertising postcards in shop windows and post offices and slowly but surely we built up a good business. The joy of hairdressing is that if you get on well with people, and do a good job for them, they can remain customers – and friends – for life.

I loved the work, and I loved keeping up with new styles and fashions. Most of all I loved the relationships that were developed with my many customers. Once we had had the initial advertising splurge with the postcards I never again had to do any advertising at all, because I got so many recommendations that I ended up with a waiting list. My two daughters came into the business with me, and since I became semi-retired from it a few years ago they have taken over the running of it.

I will always be grateful to hairdressing for having not only given me and my family a good standard of living, but it is also brought me a wide circle of friends who I treasure enormously.

If you want to get in touch with those for any reason you can write to us at Prudent Plus Limited of Booths Park, Chelford Rd Knutsford WA16 8GS, telephone us on 0845 8386 843 or drop us an .