A North-East woman who used her redundancy money to launch her own business is to speak at an event in the region encouraging others to do the same.

Jackie Johnstone, who is now a joint director of children's party franchise, Jabberjacks, has been invited speak at the Be Your Own Boss exhibition in Durham City next month.

The event, on June 4, is designed to offer advice and franchise opportunities to public and private sector workers whose jobs are threatened by cuts.

The mother of two, who is originally from Newcastle but now lives in Leicestershire, said: "I know only too well how it feels to be made redundant but I want to let people know that it isn't the end of the world - and that it could actually just mark the beginning of something really exciting.

"I worked for a large bank for almost 20 years and when I lost my job it was a complete surprise, but then I took some time out to really think about what I wanted. I used my redundancy money to buy into a Jabberjacks franchise in Leicestershire with my business partner and now we own the company.

"I'm thrilled to be heading back to the North East. I hope my story will show people that becoming your own boss needn't be scary and it can be incredibly successful. It has truly changed my life."

The exhibition takes place at Durham Town Hall between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, June 4.