London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 11, 2025

'My dad built me a beauty salon in the garden'

'My dad built me a beauty salon in the garden'

Amy Harris' career prospects look good - thanks to her dad building her a beauty salon in their back garden.


The beautician, 18, feared coronavirus would have an impact on her career when she qualified this summer.

With fewer jobs, and salons tentatively reopening with strict Covid-19 guidelines, Amy's dad Andy decided to build her a business - literally.

"Having a salon in the garden was only mentioned two weeks ago - now it's up!" said Amy.

"It's great because I felt a lot of stress, I didn't know where my income was going to come from. I had bills to pay and felt a lot of pressure because when Covid happened my income stopped."

Amy realises how lucky she is, especially because while unemployment figures have remained stable for most age ranges, for 18 to 24-year-olds it has risen since the start of the year.


Dad Andy Harris is building a back garden beauty salon for daughter Amy


Latest official figures show jobs vacancies have gone from a record high of 795,000 in the UK in February to a record low of 333,000 in June, with research suggesting young people were "most likely to lose their job" in lockdown.

The pandemic hit at a critical time for Amy's beauty therapy qualification at Filton College in Bristol and it led to her being furloughed from her part-time job at a beauty salon near her home in Monmouthshire.

"Obviously the idea is to go to college, get my qualification and get a job," said Amy, who lives with her parents in Caerwent, near Chepstow.

"But it's quite daunting for some leaving college now after Covid, as there seems to be less jobs out there for those looking to start their career."


The back garden salon cost the family "a couple of thousand of pounds"


Like many in the same position, she was naturally worried about whether being furloughed might translate into ultimately losing her job. Fortunately for Amy, mum Becky had a "bright idea".

"My dad converted their study for my first salon," said Amy.

"But with social distancing guidelines and new health and safety procedures in mind, we felt that was not safe for my clients or my family for that to continue.

"Mum suggested 'why don't we build a cabin in the back garden?'. Dad said 'yeah ok' and within a few days, the materials started arriving and now here it is.

"Without my parents I wouldn't be able to do it, it's great having that backup and support - I can't thank them enough."


Amy brushing up on her skills while working on her mum Becky's nails


The garden transformation cost "a couple of thousand of pounds" but property maintenance worker Andy was "glad to make an investment to his daughter's future".

"You'd do anything to help your kids, wouldn't you?" said Andy.

"My work has dropped off during Covid, so I had a bit more time and people starting out in the middle of this have got it tougher than most - so I'm happy to do anything I can to help."

The Beautify by Amy salon has running water, electricity and heating, and is insulated to make it "cosy" on those cold winter nights. Crucially, it can also be accessed via a footpath outside the house to make it Covid compliant.

"I want it to feel relaxed and welcoming for my clients as well as safe," said Amy.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
New Road Safety Measures Proposed in the UK: Focus on Eye Tests and Stricter Drink-Driving Limits
Viktor Orbán Criticizes EU's Financial Support for Ukraine Amid Economic Concerns
South Korea's Military Shrinks by 20% Amid Declining Birthrate
US Postal Service Targets Unregulated Vape Distributors in Crackdown
Duluth International Airport Running on Tech Older Than Your Grandmother's Vinyl Player
RFK Jr. Announces HHS Investigation into Big Pharma Incentives to Doctors
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Security flaws in a carmaker’s web portal let one hacker remotely unlock cars from anywhere
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
×