REALITY TV hairdresser Gina Akers took along her trademark touch of style to help judge a hair and beauty contest held at the Arc Theatre.

Gina, star of Channel 4's The Salon, was one of the judges at the competition, organised by Wiltshire College, Trowbridge for its 150 hairdressing and beauty students on Wednesday.

Gina, who writes for beauty magazines and often appears on ITV show This Morning, helped evaluate the techniques, final look and originality of the students' creations.

Hairdressing programme leader Kay Poole said the celebrity touch helped give the students an incentive to do well.

"This was a great opportunity for the students to show off their skills and impress the judges from the industry," she said.

Other judges included industry experts from Aston and Fincher and hair and beauty lecturers from Wiltshire College, Chippenham.

Principal George Bright handed out the prizes for each of the 10 categories, including day and evening styles, colour enhancement and overall look.

Prizes included specialist scissors, hairdryers and styling products, all provided by Aston Fincher and Wella.