Carol Ann, Retiring after snipping hair for 51 years.
Meet Carol, at her salon: Carol Ann's in Stourbridge. She is hanging up her scissors after a huge 51 years serving the community, still helped by her 90 year old mother too.
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00:00Right, I might pause you there, Carol. Go on, kill the blower.
00:06You don't want to go off, does it?
00:10So, Vivian, how long have you been coming here and having Carol do your hair?
00:14Over 50 years.
00:15Over 50 years?
00:16Well, I'll be 51. Some of my customers used to come before the line you had before them.
00:22Yeah, no way.
00:23Me and Carol, all the time, she'd be my girl.
00:25So you used to have a shop, your family had a shop over the way, didn't it?
00:28Yes, I have.
00:29So you've met a few of their family over the years then, Carol?
00:32Oh, yeah, yeah. My mum always used to make us cupcakes every Thursday afternoon.
00:36Yeah.
00:37That was lovely. I've got some of her customers.
00:39So, I mean, 51 years. When you're in this role, you do get a little community of, you know...
00:46I know everything and everybody.
00:47Yeah.
00:48I know me, I know what I've gone through, marriage, divorce and things like that.
00:51Yeah.
00:53When I was 17, and the week after I was 18, my dad wanted me in for my 18th birthday.
00:59Yeah.
01:00So that was how come I had it. Because I'm 68 now, aren't I?
01:04Yeah.
01:0668 now, and I'm 69 in June.
01:09Yeah.
01:10Does it take its toll on the legs, standing up all day like you?
01:13No, no. I mean, I'm up and on too.
01:15Is that your mum?
01:16Yeah, yeah.
01:17Come in, mum. Come on, come in.
01:18I come as an elder.
01:19Come in. Come and snuggle in then.
01:21Comes and helps out and that.
01:22No, we never sit with our legs up. We can hold back on anything.
01:25Yeah, yeah. What's mum's name then?
01:27Lily.
01:28Lily. How old are you then, Lil?
01:2990.
01:3090, yeah. No way.
01:32So, you know, does it make it difficult giving up that side of it, you know?
01:36It hasn't hit me yet.
01:37Yeah.
01:38It hasn't hit me yet.
01:39Yeah, yeah.
01:40Probably next week or the week after, I'll be thinking, oh, I know what to do today.
01:43But I've got things to do, because we've got a lot of land and horses and stuff.
01:47Yeah.
01:49My husband retires in May.
01:50Ah, so it's time to just, yeah.
01:52He's retiring as well, so he's ready to retire now.
01:54Yeah.
01:55So, yeah.
01:56So, you've met some nice characters over the years.
01:59Yeah.
02:00Yeah.
02:03Yeah.
02:04So, do you get a free cut on your barnet here then?
02:09I got a free cut today, because that's my son next door, the barber.
02:12Oh, is it?
02:14Yeah.
02:16Yeah.
02:19Yeah.
02:22Yeah.
02:24Yeah.
02:26Oh, wow.
02:28Yeah.
02:30No way.
02:32Yeah.
02:36No, no.
02:39Yeah.
02:40Cool.
02:41Here we go.
02:42Shall we get you in?
02:43We'll come back over at this rate.
02:46Yeah.
02:47Big coffee lounge, yeah.
02:48Yeah.
02:49Yeah.
02:50Yeah.
02:51Yeah.
02:52Yeah.
02:53Yeah.
02:54Yeah.
02:55Yeah.
02:56Yeah.
02:57Yeah.
02:58Yeah.
03:07Yeah, exactly that.
03:08Yeah.
03:12Yeah.
03:16And here you still are.
03:19Yeah.
03:22Well, we wish you all the best, Carol, in your retirement.
03:24Yeah, thank you.
03:25All right.
03:26Thank you.