Salon owner wants to give people 'second chance'

Sarah Clay, who runs Lash Lounge in Beeston, wants to give someone from a struggling background the skills to launch their own business

A beauty salon owner who saw friends and family members struggling to get work has decided to take the matter into her own hands by offering free training.

"The world can be a cruel place, and I believe everybody deserves a second chance," says Sarah Clay from her salon in Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

For the second year running, she has decided to give away beautician training courses to people who want to start in the industry but come from a disadvantaged background.

Jessica, a single mum who struggled to find work after being handed a suspended sentence for drug offences, told the BBC her life "has flourished" as a result of the training she received last year.

The 25-year-old, who did not want to have her surname mentioned, said her life was in a "dark place" before she applied to receive the training.

"I thought the conviction had ruined my life," she said. "I had to leave my job, and finding employment was impossible.

"I applied for so many jobs that I was more than qualified for but nowhere would take me. Nobody was understanding.

"I thought 'how am I going to provide for my little boy?'"

'Starting from scratch'

Since completing the sessions, Jessica has started working part-time at the salon while caring for her son and plans to open her own salon in the future.

"My life has flourished since doing the training," she said.

"I had to start my life again from scratch, and now I dream instead of worry about the future.

"Without this opportunity, I don't know where my life would be.

"I felt like my conviction defined me, and Sarah showed me that it does not."

Sarah says she wants to change more lives like Jessica's.

Sarah says there are not enough opportunities in the industry

Sarah said the idea came to her when she noticed friends and family members struggling to find work due to their past.

She hopes the sessions - which she estimates are worth about £2,500 - will help people who are at "rock bottom" and "struggling to find opportunities".

The training includes lash and brow skills, social media marketing and guidance on being self-employed.

"As a society, we push the most vulnerable aside," she added.

"So when people finish their prison sentences or flee abusive situations, there is little support available."