SUE Jones was dismayed when made redundant from her job in the travel industry - but she didn't let it get on her wick.

The entrepreneurial mum of two came up with the illuminating idea of turning used glass and other unwanted household items into candles.

Cheshire Candle Company Ltd was born after she was made redundant from her job as area manager for travel company Thomas Cook.

The kitchen of her Thingwall home is the current production line for a range of candles that are already proving popular. As well as glass, Sue has also used old cups for the candles.

She told the Globe: "I'd worked for Thomas Cook for about 15 years when I was made redundant. When it happened I had to think about a long-term career and looked for something different.

"Making candles is something different, and risky, but it's what I wanted to do.

"My husband Mark had taken up turning glass bottles into outdoor ornaments. "The work involved breaking up glass, so I'd find a lot of unwanted glass lying around the house and decided to do something practical with it.

"The response from people is positive; they like the scent of them. People buy them as decoration.

"It's an innovative way of using stuff that people just throw away.

"We're living in a society that does a lot of recycling and I can't think of a better use for unwanted items than transforming them into useful and quirky objects."

Funding for the business came from National Enterprise Allowance.

The business is a real family affair. Sue's brother-in-law has helped design the logo and a family friend is working on the website.

Looking to the future, Sue said: "The plan is to move production from the house to a small unit, but it could be a while before that happens."