Beauty of positive outlook as Shropshire domestic violence victim Naomi to launch national business

Naomi Curran had been living the high-life in London as a hair colour expert – sharing the stage with stylists to the stars and celebrity hairdressers and she had no idea that her life would soon take a dark turn.

Naomi was left battered almost beyond recognition after she suffered a devastating attack at the hands of her abusive partner in 2010.

She was whisked away three weeks before Christmas and transferred to a Shropshire-based women’s refuge.

She left her home in London with only a handful of photos and found herself homeless, jobless and without a penny to her name.

But, seven years on and with the support of the Shropshire Housing Alliance (SHA), 39-year-old Naomi is not only building a new life for her and her 10-year-old son – but she is also planning to launch a national beauty business, which is aimed at boosting women’s self-confidence.

Naomi said: “When I was first taken to the women’s refuge, I did not realise the finality of the move.

“I expected to move back to London, go back to work and pick up my old life, but it soon became apparent that this wasn’t going to be an option. Because I had pressed charges for assault against my ex, it was suggested I shouldn’t return to the area we lived.”

Within two weeks of being relocated to the women’s refuge, the Shropshire Housing Alliance was able to offer Naomi an affordable rented home – to enable her to start rebuilding her life. She moved into the SHA managed property in March 2011, and hasn’t looked back since.

Naomi successfully launched her own colour consultancy and hairdressing business, Colour Consultant, in Market Drayton, in April 2016, and, with support from a mentor at the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, she now plans to expand this service, running image master class workshops across the UK.

Naomi added: “I am very fortunate to have worked with some amazing people in the hair and beauty industry throughout my career and I am talking to some of the make-up artists, nutritionists and wellbeing practitioners about combining our expertise.

“Women’s confidence issues very often hold them back – I know that if you feel good about how you look, it helps boost your self esteem.

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“My master class events will offer tailored advice to women who attend, to help them look and feel better, which in turn will positively impact their confidence.

“Eventually, I would love to be in a position to give something back to the women’s refuge service by offering the master classes to residents free of charge.

“That will be something to aim for in the future.”

Ro Lanceley, a housing advisor for Shropshire Housing Alliance, said: “I am delighted that we were able to help Naomi. She was desperate to be independent and re-start her career.

“Getting her set up in a new home was the first step in helping her achieve that.”

Some 30,475 women in Shropshire will experience domestic abuse during their lifetime.

This equates to one in four women being likely to experience domestic violence, from a population figure of 121,900 for women over 16.

• A domestic abuse help line run by West Mercia Women’s Aid offers confidential support, information, advice and access to refuge or emergency accommodation where necessary for men and women. Their 24-hour free phone line is 0800 783 1359.

• Alternatively, you can call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit westmerciawomensaid.org