Single mum Cheryle Walton has turned her fortunes around to become a successful businesswoman heading a sales team of 30, selling candles at parties.

Ms Walton, from Chippenham, picked and trained her team and her sales figures have just won her an all expenses paid trip to Athens on a five-Star holiday with her partner.

But it was a very different story just a few years ago. Abandoned by her husband of 18 years, left with no savings and a mortgage to pay as well as a young child to bring up, Ms Walton was at a very low ebb in her life.

By day she worked as a clerk in the Post Office, and as a cleaner, and she spent two evenings a week and every Sunday working in a convenience store.

But Ms Walton's life began to turn around in May 2000 when she took a rare night off and went to a PartyLite candle show.

Candles had always been something of a passion and she liked the products on offer so she decided to give it a go and started to organise her first party.

Although it was a challenge at first standing up in front of people talking about the products, by 2002 she was working as an independent consultant full time, running her own business earning more than she ever had working for someone else.

And just one year later she confidently gave a formal presentation on how to build a successful business to 300 people at the annual PartyLite Conference.

"As my own boss, I have a great sense of independence and control over my life," she said.

"Yet I feel very fortunate as I get so much recognition and support from PartyLite there are a lot of training and development opportunities but there is no pressure to perform, everyone in my team can work at their own pace.

"My confidence has grown enormously and best of all I get to spend much more time with my daughter, especially in school holidays."

Ms Walton faced another crisis in 2003 when she was burgled her diary and all her work papers were stolen. This was a huge blow because it meant that she had to re-build her business all over again.

But she was determined to get the business back on its feet and last year Ms Walton achieved another impressive accolade.

She recruited the most new consultants into the business across Britain, and the vast majority of her new recruits reached sales figures of £800 or more in their first business month.

Ms Walton attributes her success to the fact that she loves her work.

Now she has vacancies in her team and is on the look out for people in the area who want to share in her success.

"I feel as if I get paid to party it's very sociable and such fun," she said. "I am so proud of my team and myself I now am a very successful business woman and I don't have to sacrifice my partner or daughter in order to work."