A Dereham beauty salon has been crowned as the nation's very best at Englands Business Awards.
Hair Now Beauty Now, based in the Toftwood area of Dereham, won 'best beauty salon in England' during a special ceremony in Birmingham on Sunday (November 13) night.
The gong was given specifically to the beauty side of the salon, which owner Rebecca Rose has worked hard to grow since she began running the family business in 2006.
Earlier this year the salon was named best in Norfolk at the regional awards - and has now gone one better.
A stunned but delighted Mrs Rose said: "I am completely shocked - it is absolutely mad to have won.
"We just thought it was going to be a nice evening out where we could get dressed up, meet like-minded people, maybe get a few tips and just celebrate being a finalist.
"They were reading out all the nominees, and me and Gemma, the salon manager, sat back in our seats thinking it wouldn't be us.
"When they announced us as the winner, there was this disbelief. We actually waited for it to go up on the big screen to make sure.
"It still doesn't seem real. I was travelling back from Birmingham and thinking 'is this a dream?'".
Hair Now Beauty Now comes from humble beginnings, having been opened in Dereham town centre as 'Hair Now' by Mrs Rose's parents, Roly and Jane Le Roy, in the 1980s.
They moved to a new site in 2006 and, after leaving school, Mrs Rose came on board with a view to expanding into the world of beauty.
Since then, the business has continued to go from strength to strength and now has seven employees working specifically on beauty treatments.
Hailing her staff, who have helped make the salon what it is today, Mrs Rose added: "Even though I am shocked, in a way I'm not surprised because all the girls have worked so hard.
"I suppose it's because we are only a small salon in Dereham. We were going up against all these big salons in London with hundreds of customers and bigger premises.
"I think it is all about our customer loyalty and return rate. That is probably what helped us stand out and win."
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