A BEAUTICIAN has chosen the North-East over Sydney to set up her own business.

Having recently returned from a year travelling and working in Australia, Rachael Craggs has opened a beauty salon, The Powder Room, in Redcar, east Cleveland.

The move was a big step for the 24-year-old, who had been offered the chance to run the Toni and Guy beauty salon in Sydney, where she had worked for three months.

Instead, she decided to return home to start her own venture in partnership with hairdresser The Cutting Room, in Cleveland Street.

"I have always loved living and working in my home town.

"My family think I am mad to give up everything Australia has to offer for winter in Redcar, but this is what I have always wanted," she said.

Having qualified in beauty therapy at Middlesbrough College in 2000, she worked in Redcar for four years before going travelling.

In Sydney, she trained at Toni and Guy, specialising in Dermalogica and Opi nail products, which she now uses in her salon.