A BEWDLEY businesswoman who overcame cancer to build up her company is looking to clean up at a prestigious awards ceremony later this month.

Mandy Hughes, who owns Chores Cleaning Services, has been nominated for both the Female Owned Business of the Year and Significant Achievement categories in the Wonderful Worcestershire Awards.

Chores was conceived when Mandy simply put a postcard in the window of her local newsagent advertising her services as a cleaner.

From that humble beginning, her reputation grew so she started taking on more staff and employs 26 people today and undertakes domestic and commercial cleaning contracts across the country.

But her fledgling business was almost stopped before it got off the ground when Mandy was hit with serious health issues.

She said: “Within weeks of securing my first client I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease.

“The diagnosis was later changed to include Bowel Cancer, and led to abdominal sugary and 30 weeks of Chemotherapy.

“It was a very tough time, for me and the whole family, but trying to juggle the surgery and treatment with my new cleaning commitments was tremendously difficult.

“However, I did find a way and by the end of the treatment she had employed her first member of staff.

“The most difficult thing was keeping it all a secret. My cleaning clients never knew what was happening, and I managed to keep it from my employee too.

“I only ever took two weeks off work, and would often be seen running down the hospital corridor to make my chemo appointment on a Friday afternoon.

“I would be ill all weekend but always managed to be back at work on Monday morning. That is why the Significant Achievement nomination is so special.”

This is not the first time Mandy has hit the headlines as she, along with employee Angela Crewe, helped deliver a baby on the car park of the Mitre Oak pub in Crossway Green back in July 2013.

Anyone wishing to support Mandy in her bid to win the Wonderful Worcestershire Women awards can do so by visiting their site at wonderfulworcestershirewomen.co.uk/