AN INDEPENDENT business with multiple salons in Dorset is celebrating two decades of staff loyalty as two employees reach their 20 work anniversaries.

Synergy Hairdressing is celebrating the anniversaries of Vicki Klata and Leah Grimshaw, who have worked for the business since they were teenagers.

Vicki began her career at Synergy Hairdressing at the age of 19, coming in as a trainee with ambitions to become a successful stylist.

After eight years working at the salon at Ashley Cross in Poole, owners Colina and Steve Currell decided to open a new base in Blandford Forum – with Vicki running all operations.

Vicki said: "I was so happy to have the opportunity to take the reins at the Blandford salon. I’ve loved feeling empowered to make decisions through my role and have thrived on the opportunity to motivate my junior staff."

Leah Grimshaw joined the company at just 16 and became the first person to qualify as a stylist while working at the business.

She said: "Synergy Hairdressing’s family-driven culture has been particularly special to me as I sadly lost my mum a year after joining the team. The team was incredible at helping me through such a difficult time and I’ve been inspired to stay with them ever since.

"A highlight for me during the past 20 years was achieving my Master Colour Expert qualification and an NVQ Assessing Qualification, helped through my experience working at the salon. I can’t wait to continue a long and fruitful career at Synergy."

The milestones follow a five-week period of record sales for the hairdressing business since re-opening on July 4, with customers appreciating a unique addition to its new health and safety measures – an outdoor styling station at Ashley Cross, Poole.

Founder of Synergy Hairdressing, Colina Currell said: "We wanted to make our new health and safety measures as easy to adjust to as possible, in line with our ethos of creating a caring, welcoming customer environment. Our staff have done a fantastic job adapting to these new circumstances and we’re lucky to have had our stylists Vicki and Leah as part of our committed team for 20 years."