A WINDERMERE hair salon business is working to support the industry and is keeping a staple of the community alive.

Anna Sorbie Hair Salon, located on Quarry Rig, will soon be taking over the Salon TK on Oak Street after the previous owner decided to retire after 17 years of business.

Owner Anna Sorbie, who had previously been a Kendal hairdresser and bridal hair designer, will be taking the reins for the salon and plans to keep it running for the community.

She also owns the Bowness Barber Lounge which is next door to her premises on Quarry Rig.

Anna said: "I'm taking over the hair salon which has been here for over 40 years. It's important for the area so we want to keep it running.

"Salon TK is very popular. It's very friendly and many of its clients want it to remain open.

"It's important to keep local businesses going for the area, and we've been working with a few others to launch things.

"We're also partnering with leading salon leaders and have been approached to work with a community called 'We Love Salons'.

"They are a designer sustainable platform and they bring in partners and brands from across the industry. The whole industry is going through difficulties at the moment and any salon products can be found online which is damaging salons.

"We want to support those in the industry and help the local area grow.

"Everyone needs to work together to create a sustainable, holistic and strong network for people going through difficult times. We want to be part of that.

"For ourselves we are also looking to expand back into the bridal side of the business.

"Taking over the TK salon is a big help to us. We didn't want to see it shut and many of its clients would never go anywhere else.

"We are launching our own products which are vegan and cruelty free. That is something that is very important to us, and people are becoming more aware of what goes in what they are buying.

"I am very excited for the future. It's been a bit of a struggle in recent months. I've had my salon since August and with all that's happened since Covid we've not had as many tourists in the area.

"Bills are going up but we are looking forward to launching more products and supporting other franchises such as local coffee and accountancy in the area.

"It's all about hairdressers supporting hairdressers.

"We want to help each other rebuild and rebrand. Everyone is a bit stuck at the moment and we just want to help the industry and support others locally and nationally."