A BISHOPSTOKE hairdresser has been headhunted for a mission which will take him and his golden scissors around the globe.

Lee Elliot, boss of the Shock-Cut Hair Studio in Fair Oak Road, has been called up by the British Artistic Team.

Being part of this razor-sharp squad will mean travelling around the world taking part in top competitions and demonstrations.

News that he had been selected for the nation's elite squad of hairdressers came out of the blue.

Lee, 55, specialises in creating the bob-cut style and believes that it was this which attracted the attention of the team selectors.

He said: "Someone saw my work on a wall planner which we send out to customers. What makes it an greater honour is that I was approached to join the national team."

He has been in the hairdressing business for more than 27 years and this really is the crowning glory of his career.

"Hopefully, this will be a very good year," said Lee who could be travelling to such exotic locations as Las Vegas or Hong Kong.

His new role will involve a lot of time in preparation and time away from his salon, but he says: "I have a good squad here to help me."

Lee's scissor skills have already brought him a huge slice of success.

He made hairdressing history by becoming the first to twice scoop the National Hairdressers Federation's prestigious Cover Girl Hairdressing Fashion Award.

The challenge was to create an overall look for a model which could be good enough to feature on the front of a fashion magazine.

He is about to do a photo-shoot of his work which he hopes will hit the pages of a leading American hair fashion magazine.

Beating off strong competition, Lee recently took second place in both ladies and gents hair styling categories in the European Clipper Championships.

Part of his prize was a special pair of scissors. They will come in useful when he aims to prove that on the world stage he can certainly be a cut above the rest.