November 24, 2020 2.04 pm This story is over 40 months old

Lincolnshire man swaps cruise ships for oven cleaning

Flexible work to help him care for his wife
Sam Eveling of Ovenu Grantham.

A former cruise ship worker is the new man at the helm of an oven valeting business whilst caring for his wife who is recovering from brain tumour surgery.

Sam Eveling, 42, spent seven years as a food and beverage manager aboard cruise ships, visiting places such as the Caribbean, Mediterranean, the United States and South America.

Sam, who also worked for two national retail companies in the past, needed a career change to help him care for his wife Jemima, so he became his own boss by taking over Ovenu Grantham after the retirement of the previous franchisee.

He covers Grantham, as well as Bourne, Sleaford, Colsterworth and surrounding areas. Sam hopes to eventually expand the business by operating extra vans and employing subcontractors in the future.

The business is open and accepting bookings at its discretion, but both parties must observe the two-metre social distancing rule, along with guidelines on hygiene and cleanliness.

Sam hopes to expand in the future by operating extra vans and employing subcontractors.

Sam, who was born in the village of Ropsley and raised in Grantham, said: “I enjoyed sailing the oceans and visiting some extremely glamorous destinations, but I also learnt a great deal about delivering exceptional customer service.

“After leaving the cruise ships, I returned to Lincolnshire and worked in retail but due to my wife’s condition, I need to take full control of my working life.

“It’s not an ideal time to be launching a business in the middle of a second national lockdown but I’m determined to make it a success.”

Sam said he wanted to take full control of his working life.

Ovenu Grantham dismantles key components of an oven such as the door, interior panels, fan and shelves and places them into design-registered tank equipment. It uses safe, non-caustic and biodegradable products to clean the oven parts.

Rik Hellewell, founder and managing director of Ovenu, said: “Sam has spent many years delivering top notch customer service in the hospitality and retail sectors and takes immense pride in delivering the highest possible standards.

“I know he recently restored an old camper van so he’s more than used to taking things apart, cleaning them, and putting them back together!”