A HAIRDRESSER and social butterfly has been thanked for taking care of her community.

Karen Clarke, who owns the Just for Men barbers in Halstead, has been nominated as The Gazette's Community Hero of the Week after she helped a fellow hairdresser in need.

Danni Pickering, from Halstead, said Karen had given her a room to run her own business out of after she was made to leave her old salon.

She said: "Karen offered me a room in her shop so I could run my business from there as my other salon closed down and I was left with no where to go. "She gave me the best opportunity to have my own premises and without her I would have been stuck and would have lost my business.

"She is always helping people out and has a heart of gold."

Karen has had the barbers in Trinity Street for 10 years, and had previously worked abroad cutting hair.

She said: "Danni has gone from pillar to post, she was working in another salon here in the town and only had three days notice to leave.

"She came down to see me and asked if I could help and I said I was converting the sunbed room into a ladies salon- she has been trading from there for about six weeks."

She said she enjoys talking to everyone who stops by and tries to look after them.

She said: "I do try and help people out, old men pop in to say hello to me every day- I like to look after them as sometimes they don't have anyone to talk to.

"The ladies' salon is going very well, Danni has decorated it beautifully and everyone says how feminine it is when they come in. It's working really well having the man and women there separately."

Email your nominations to hgnews@nqe.com stating Hero of the Week and why you think they deserve to be chosen.