Doncaster salon to transform into pink paradise for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
By Jess Watts | 19 September 2026 | Techs & Salons
From transforming its interior into a pink-themed palace to hosting a raffle with a handmade cuddly bear and goody bag up for grabs, Doncaster-based beauty salon, The Beauty Bar, is going all out to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. Owner, Christina Dawson, explains why beauty salons are the perfect place to Paint October Pink…
Christina (Chrissy) Dawson has 23 years’ experience in the beauty industry. “Nails quickly became a huge passion of mine” Chrissy says, adding that she loves ‘the creativity involved, as well as the relationships built with clients’.
“Nails aren’t just about making someone’s hands look nice. For many people, coming into the salon is their time to switch off, have a chat and feel good about themselves,” she comments.
That sense of responsibility to provide a safe, supportive space for clients permeates Chrissy’s Doncaster-based salon, The Beauty Bar. “Being an independent salon means we really are a family,” Chrissy shares. “We know our clients, we know their lives, their families and what’s happening in their world.”
It’s this close connection with clients that inspired The Beauty Bar’s charitable initiative: Paint October Pink. “Working in the beauty industry means clients often share very personal parts of their lives with us. We have had clients who have experienced breast cancer, and we’ve seen how much treatment can affect not only someone’s health but also their confidence and how they feel about themselves,” Chrissy explains.
“We want to use our salon, team, clients and social media, to make a difference,” she continues, revealing that, during the month of October – also known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The Beauty Barn will be raising awareness and funds for breast cancer charities. “We want the whole salon to become a very visible reminder throughout October of why we’re doing raising awareness,” Chrissy says.
From 1-31 October, The Beauty Bar will be transformed into a pink paradise. “We’re changing the salon decor pink wherever we can: pink uniforms, pink cushions, pink towels, pink throws and, of course, we have plenty of pink polishes… we even have pink hot chocolate drinks,” Chrissy says with a smile.
The salon will be raising money in a variety of ways, including via its treatments. The Beauty Barn will donate £1 to breast cancer research for every pink set of nails or toes, and £2 for every set of pink lashes completed.
When asked why The Beauty Bar was the right place to raise awareness from, Chrissy reveals: “We’ve built a lovely community, so I think it’s important that we use our platform for more than simply advertising appointments and treatments.”
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She continues: “If we have the opportunity to reach thousands of people with a message that could potentially encourage somebody to check their breasts or start a conversation that they might otherwise avoid, then why wouldn’t we?
“Sometimes people avoid conversations about cancer because they’re frightened or uncomfortable, but the more we talk about things like breast cancer awareness and checking for changes, the more normal those conversations become,” Chrissy acknowledges.
Alongside decking out The Beauty Bar in pink and donating money for pink-themed manicures and pedicures, Chrissy and her team will hold raffles with prizes including a jam-packed goody bag and handmade cuddly bear.
“We wanted to do something alongside the salon transformation and treatments that would help us raise money,” Chrissy explains. “With the help and donations from customers we’ve put together a pink beauty hamper, and we have a handmade pink bear up for grabs too.
“It has been wonderful to see the support from people around us. One of the things I love about Doncaster is how its independent business support one another and come together for something bigger than themselves.”
Though raising money is a key objective, Chrissy says that she doesn’t want the success of the campaign ‘to be measured purely by a number’. “If someone passes by our pink salon, sees our social media post or hears us talking about the campaign and it simply reminds them to check themselves, then we’ve achieved something incredibly important,” she says.
