A BUSINESS set up by two Northwich mums has been recognised with a prestigious award.

Pink Spaghetti, founded by Caroline Gowing and Vicky Matthews in 2009, was awarded the title of best franchise in the under-£2 million network turnover category at the Best Franchise Awards.

The public affairs network's franchisees work from home to provide flexible virtual personal assistant services to small business owners.

Despite Covid-19, last year was the network's busiest ever, with 16 new franchisees signing up – taking the total to 53 across the UK.

Hartford resident Caroline said: "2020 was a bumper year for Pink Spaghetti as so many people were having a rethink about their working lives whilst on furlough.

"Many realised that the opportunity to work flexibly from home was what they wanted. And that is what we offer."

The Best Franchise Awards are unique in that winners are judged by feedback from franchisees.

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Each franchisee completes a confidential online franchise satisfaction benchmark survey, rating their franchisor on everything from training and support to shared goals and how the experience of being a franchisee compares with their expectations.

A judging panel of franchise experts from banking, finance and consultancy then chooses the overall winners.