A TEENAGER who is the fourth generation of his family to become a barber has been named Evesham College’s Student of the Year.
Ed Lloyd, works at Rogers Barber Shop in the St Johns, Worcester – the business that was set up in the 1980s by his now-retired grandfather and currently run by his dad Chris.
But the family’s association with the trade stretches back even further, and began with the 17-year-old’s great-grandfather Stanley, who started out in his aunt’s front room in Birmingham.
Ed signed up to a Level Two Diploma in Barbering at Evesham College — part of WCG — after completing his GCSEs at Christopher Whitehead School in Worcester, and has been putting his formal training into practise while working alongside his dad and his four other staff.
“I’ve been around the barber shop my whole life, so it seemed like the right thing to do to get qualified in the trade,” he said.
“Barbering is in my blood and while I’ve never been 100 per cent sure about what I wanted to do after leaving school it was great to know that I had that option of a job in the family business.
“I’ve been working there pretty much full-time since I left school as well as studying at Evesham College, so with the pandemic it’s been a really busy and challenging year all round, but it’s a good feeling to be rewarded with the Student of the Year award.
“I’m in the process of applying to join the Royal Air Force as a medic so my career may take a twist, much to the annoyance of my mates who think they’re all getting free haircuts for life!”
Ed was also named WCG’s Hair, Beauty and Barbering Student of the Year.
In his award citation, Ed was described as ‘a natural entrepreneur, always sharing great ideas on how he could develop as a barber’.
Mark Bonham, college director at Evesham College, said: “Ed has shown a constant drive and focus during his time with us at Evesham College.
“His practical work has been exceptional and has developed to a much higher standard than Level 2 because of his previous experience, but despite knowing the barbering trade inside out as a result of his family links, he has still showed great humility when getting feedback from the course tutors.
“Throughout the course he has constantly strived to improve himself — he is a testament to his family as their next generation barber, and will without a doubt be extremely successful in whatever he chooses to do in the future.”
For more information about studying at Evesham College visit www.wcg.ac.uk/study
