A NEW venture that has opened at Chineham Park is aiming to be a cut above for male gym users and other men on the business site.

The Barber Shop is on the first floor inside the Fitness First gym on the business park, and it is the latest venture to be set up by Clair Shell.

In addition to the latest fashion styles, traditional gents cuts and cut-throat shaves are offered too.

Explaining why she set up The Barber Shop, Clair said: “The main reason is this is a very male-orientated gym and I felt I was missing a trick.”

She reckons around 65 per cent of the club’s membership are men. In addition, she believes a sizeable majority of the 5,000 or so people working at Chineham Park are men too.

The shop is next door to The Hair Studio, which caters mainly for women, and has been run by Clair for five years.

Clair, who in 2000 won the Basingstoke Young Business Person of the Year Award, certainly knows her trade, having trained 20 years ago as a hair-dresser at BCoT.

Cutting and styling hair at the British Barber Association-accredited barber shop are Jordan Marvelley and Stuart Dimond, who are also BCoT trained.

Encouraged by the support of Fitness First and MEPC, which operates Chineham Park, Clair is upbeat about the busy location and was delighted with the launch.

She said: “The day went really well, especially from 5.30pm until 8pm when we were fully booked – so I was pleased that we had a really good start.”

The entrepreneur, who also runs Hampshire Bridal Hair, has ambitious plans for the future too, as she is currently studying for her BTEC Level 3 Award in Education and Training, at BCoT.

“I eventually want to open a hairdressing and barbering academy in about five years,” she said.