A MEIRIONNYDD barber has made it to the shortlist of a nationwide competition to be crowned the very best wet shaving barber in Great Britain for the second year in a row.

Sophie Collins, based at Soph’s Barbers at 1 Victoria Buildings in Llanbedr, will face razor sharp competition from fellow craftsmen near and far in her quest to win Britain’s Best Shave 2018.

The 26-year-old won the Welsh regional heat back in 2017 and represented the country at the national final, where she battled to the final but was beaten by winner Elvis Gjokaj from Epsom.

She is set to face-off against other top barbers in the Welsh regional final of Britain’s Best Shave 2018 at the James Williams barbershop in Port Talbot on Sunday, 18 March.

The national final will once again take place inside a boxing ring at Barber UK at the Birmingham NEC on Sunday, 20 May.

Barbering is one of two passions for biker Sophie, who has been nicknamed ‘The Cut Throat Racer’.

She said: “I really love traditional wet shaving.

“When I trained to become a barber all I wanted to do was wet shaves.

“Considering I’m from a small area, I still manage to do a few shaves and my customers love it.

I also link it in with my weekend hobby as a motorcycle road racer.

“At most events I compete in, I take along my tools and give people haircuts, shape beards and even wet shaves.

“It’s the most incredible feeling knowing I’m doing the two things I enjoy the most at one event.

“Nobody has ever seen a barber in leathers on a race bike!

“Hopefully this year I can go one step further and win the national final and bring the coveted title back to Wales.

“I’m very confident I can achieve this and it would be amazing to put Wales and Gwynedd truly on the barbering map.”

Now in its fifth year, the annual competition, run by industry watchdogs the British Barbers’ Association and The Bluebeards Revenge, is fast becoming the most coveted competition of the barbering industry.

Finalists must impress judges on a number of criteria, including shave preparation, razor technique, post-shave routine, health and safety and overall efficiency.

Nick Gibbens, spokesperson for The Bluebeards Revenge, said: “Each year we’re blown away by the level of talent out there, and this year we’ve had a record number of entries.

“What this shows is that competitions like this, along with the good work of the British Barbers Association, help to drive up standards in the barbering industry – that’s the overall objective.”