The popular television series Game of Thrones is the inspiration for a hairdressing competition that will be held next week.

Students from University College Isle of Man’s hair and beauty department will be recreating warrior women hairstyles in their annual live styling challenge.

As part of their training course, this year students have been working with Manx National Heritage to understand the role of women in the Viking age and have been asked to be creative with their interpretations of Viking ’hairstyling’, incorporating imaginative fantasy elements.

The students will be putting their skills into practice using a variety of complicated hairdressing techniques.

Visitors are invited to go along and see how the students achieve the warrior look.

This will be the seventh year that students from the college have worked together with Manx National Heritage on their live styling challenge.

The competition had the same theme three years ago.

Katie King, community engagement officer for Manx National Heritage, said: ’We are delighted that the hair and beauty department are once again taking on the challenge of bringing history to life - although I must admit the Viking theme will be more challenging than previous years for the students as we have no photographs from which to work.

’We do have archaeological evidence of jewellery, adornments and accessories which indicate that Viking peoples were just as concerned with appearance as we are today - so this has been our starting point.

’The students have also been asked to use their imaginations and to embrace a more fantasy element this year - with television programmes such as Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom being used as styling inspiration.’

Lindsey Jackson, hair and beauty assistant programme manager for UCM, said: ’Our students have really enjoyed the challenge of reimagining Viking period styles, with the added element of fantasy. We are all really looking forward to the event.#

Visitors are invited to the House of Manannan in Peel from 10am to noon on Thursday, April 25, to watch the live styling event. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.