HAIR and beauty students from Coleg Ceredigion were recently given rare access to some of the techniques used in film and television makeup by an industry professional.

Elin Rhiannon, who has worked on various productions for the BBC, S4C and Channel 4, dropped in to provide students with a

session on stage and screen hair and makeup, and to talk about how her career progressed from working on children’s programmes for S4C to her work on some of the UK’s highest rating TV programmes.

During the workshop Elin explained how being a Welsh-speaker was a catalyst in providing her with her first break before opening the door to opportunities in other productions.

“I started my career on a popular soap on S4C’s Rownd a Rownd before moving on to other productions,” said Elin. “The Welsh language has really helped me to break into the industry and to establish useful contacts.”

During Elin’s career she has worked on various TV productions such as Gavin and Stacey, Downton Abbey, Coronation Street, Hinterland, Doctor Who, and both Casualty and Holby City to name but a few.