A RAMSBOTTOM barber will hang up her scissors for the final time this weekend.

Beverley Macca, the owner of Bev’s Barbers, in Market Place, has announced the shop will be closing on Saturday due to her ill health.

Ms Macca, aged 51, suffers from Barrett’s Esophagus, a precancerous condition, and underwent two operations last year, which forced her to take three months off work.

She recently found out that one of the operations had failed, and the news has prompted her decision to close the shop.

She said: “I have got a lot of things ongoing and I don’t need the stress of running a business when I’m concentrating on getting better.

“I also have arthritis which is not the most practical thing to have as a barber.

“I will continue with the laundry downstairs because I’m not as restricted doing that and can work at my own pace around hospital appointments."

Of the response to the shop closing, she said:

“I have been totally overwhelmed. The amount of good wishes and the response of customers coming in, the gifts and flowers, it’s totally blown me away.

“After being off, my self-confidence had taken a hit and this has made me feel so much better.

“We always used to say the shop was not just a place people came to get a haircut, we also gave out tourist information on Ramsbottom and acted as an entertainment guide. I think my next career might have to be as a blogger on Ramsbottom!”

Prior to moving into the industry, Ms Macca worked in retail, but decided to pursue her ambition of owning her own barber shop ten years ago.

After working at a shop in Stubbins for several years, Ms Macca moved to a shop in Nuttall Lane before buying her current shop in 2016.

She said: “When I got divorced at 40 I thought ‘if I don’t do it now I never will’, so I started a course at Bury College.

“My dream was always to have a shop in the centre of Ramsbottom. I found out this shop was empty on the Monday and by the Wednesday I had viewed it and said I was having it.

“I absolutely love the location opposite the Urn. We have been very much part of the community.

“I have always lived in Ramsbottom all my life. Through the shop, I have got to know loads of lovely families that have moved into Ramsbottom.

“I have grown up with families from their first hair cut right through to high school, and my customers have become my friends.

"I also want to thank all my staff for their help over the years."

New owners have already been found for the shop, which is expected to reopen in early May under the name ‘Pink Rhino’, a hairdressing salon for women, once its new owners have finished putting their own stamp on the building.