Christine, a former school secretary and driving instructor says: "I gave up working as a school secretary because we relocated to Northumberland. Once the house was finished I was looking for a new challenge, and operating Ovenu in the local area is ideal because it means I can fit work around my 11-year-old daughter's school hours.

"I am looking forward to getting out into the region and establishing my new business venture by ensuring my customers never have to clean their ovens themselves again."

Oven was established in 1994 and has been franchising since 1999 and now has over 100 franchisees in its network and in excess of 100,000 customers. Ovenu's Managing Director Rik Hellewell says: "Christine has good experience of working in a people focused environment, which puts her in an ideal position to become an Ovenu franchisee. She is bringing a service to Northumberland that will help people who do not have the time for loathed chores like cleaning the oven."