Stourbridge hairdresser recognised for dementia-friendly salon work

A Stourbridge hairdresser who has made his salon a welcoming place for people living with dementia has been shortlisted for a national award.

Tim Scott-Wright, owner of The Hair Surgery in Wollaston, is a finalist in the Community Hero category at HJ's British Hairdressing Business Awards 2027.

The recognition follows the salon's work supporting older clients experiencing memory loss, including a group known as the "Friday Ladies", who have followed Tim throughout his 30-year career.

Now in their seventies, eighties and nineties, several of the women are living with dementia.

To help them continue visiting safely and with dignity, Tim and his team introduced a five-point dementia-friendly policy covering communication, safety, working with families, maintaining routines and protecting clients' dignity.

All staff receive training to recognise signs of memory loss and adapt appointments to meet clients' needs.

The salon also keeps in touch with clients outside appointments. When Covid restrictions forced salons to close, Tim began phoning his regular Friday clients each week to chat and check how they were coping. The practice has continued.

Tim said: "Some of these ladies have been coming to me every Friday for decades. They helped build this salon, and they deserve to be looked after at every stage of life.

"For someone living with dementia, having their hair done is about so much more than a blow-dry. It's routine, it's familiarity, and it's looking in the mirror and still seeing themselves."

Tim, who grew up in Stourbridge, opened The Hair Surgery in 2014. He was named Midlands Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards in 2005 and successfully defended the title three years running.

The salon has also won Hair Magazine's Regional Salon of the Year and Creative Salon of the Year at the Salon Business Awards.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane on March 1, 2027.