A HAIR salon and beautician is celebrating its first birthday - despite having been closed for much of their first year.

Kokopelli, in Barnoldswick, will celebrate its first birthday on today (Saturday, February 20) but owners Rebecca Martin and Katie Peel are upset they are unable to celebrate the event with their clients.

Rebecca said: "Its been really really difficult - its been a tough first year and not what we ever had in mind,

"On the other side of it, its shown we have been able to get through this year when everything has been against us and we have been able to carry on in a positive way.

"We have been able to celebrate the fact we have got to a year and we are still standing and we are looking forward to opening when we can."

Closing after just three weeks of being in business, the hairdresser and nail and beauty salon, based on Rainhall Road, has only been able to be open to customers for about five months of the year due to lockdown restrictions.

Despite all the odds being against them, the pair are ready for a successful second year in business, once the current lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Rebecca added: "It was just that uncertainty because we were such a new business.

"I know every business was struggling but we just had this gut wrenching fear of 'have we made the biggest mistake in putting everything we have into opening this business and now we have to shut.'"

Rebecca added that the financial support has helped them keep going through a time of such uncertainty.

As well as this, the duo also say that their landlady has been fantastic throughout and understanding of position and financial hardships the business partners were facing under after such a short time of opening the doors.

Rebecca completed an apprenticeship in hairdressing in 2013 for two years at a salon in Skipton and has worked for various salons around East Lancashire while Katie has been a beautician for over 10 years, with 12 of those working from a home salon.

To celebrate their birthday, the salon is also running a competition for clients to win a giveaway.