It was a beautiful day for Blackpool and The Fylde College students Jacqueline Lang, Gabriella Hargraves and Jaime McConnell as the trio all scooped coveted medals in the WorldSkills UK national final.

Gold medal winner Jacqueline, 38, was crowned the UK’s top trainee reflexologist after winning the Holistic Therapy: Reflexology competition. Judges praised the standard of her customer consultation, relaxing treatment and thoughtful aftercare during the timed competition. Jacqueline is studying for a Level 3 Diploma in Complementary and Alternative Therapies and hopes to become a professional reflexologist when she completes her course this year.

Silver star Gabriella’s intricate application of acrylic nails earned her second place overall in the Nail Enhancements competition. Gabriella, 17, was judged on the technical perfection with which she sculpted the nails, including the precision of the join between the pink and white areas of nail, known as the ‘smile line’, and the curves and angles she created.

In the Nail Art category, brilliant bronze medallist Jaime, 21, impressed judges with her fabulous nail designs incorporating the theme ‘cultures around the world’.

Of the nine Blackpool and The Fylde College students taken to the regional heats in Manchester, six made it through to the finals, placing them in the top ten from across the UK in their respective categories, including the three medal winners.

Commenting on the success, Pam Cadden, Head of the School of Hairdressing, Beauty and Related Therapies where the girls study said:

“This is a tremendous result for the girls and indeed the College. Jacqueline has only been studying reflexology for nine months and is already at a professional standard. Gabriella and Jaime have also prevailed in highly competitive categories and their technical ability and creativity when working on nails is outstanding.

“To receive such high accolades while competing against the best students and trainees in the UK is a true testament of how high the standard of teaching is at Blackpool and The Fylde College. This is the third consecutive year we have won gold in Holistic competitions and I’m not aware of any other college achieving this, putting us at the very forefront of training for this increasingly popular industry.

“I offer my congratulations to each of the girls and I’m sure they will be equally successful in their careers.”

Jacqueline will be invited to the annual gold winners’ awards ceremony in London later this year to celebrate her excellence and innovation.