A NEWPORT hairdresser has been named the Guinness World Record holder for the most hair up-dos styled in eight hours.

In February this year Jenna McDonnell, 29, from Eveswell, embarked on a day-long challenge to complete 300 hairstyles in 300 minutes – the first time a record of its kind had been set.

She finished in seven and a half hours with the help of 180 models and two cans of hairspray.

More than four months later – after world record judges reviewed her application – Ms McDonnell received her certificate in the post telling her she is now the current world record holder.

The former St Joseph’s pupil, who owns a salon in Chepstow Road, asked Dylan Matthews, the son of Newport business tycoon and Celtic Manor owner Terry Matthews, to present it to her.

“He came down to the shop and said congratulations and we took some photos,” she said.

“I asked him because he’s somebody you look up to, the Celtic Manor being a family run business and success.”

Ms McDonnell said she now wants to make the hairstyle challenge an annual event for charity, after raising £600 for charity the Ieuan the Lion fund. In May last year she completed a challenge to do 100 wedding hairstyles in 12 hours, raising thousands of pounds for four charities helping Gwent children.

But she said if anyone beats her current record – of 304 hairstyles in eight hours – she will battle seriously to win back the title.

“Because it was originally a charity event, doing the Guinness World Record was a secondary thought," she said.

“If someone beats me I will have to do it again. But what I would do, I’d do a quieter one which wasn’t an event.

“It was great and we raised a lot of money for charity but I have thought of ways I could do it again and be more focused.

“I could do hairstyles on the same 10 people repeated, who had perfect hair to do styles with, rather than 100 people. "Last time I had people coming in with hair past their bum and it was hard to do.”