WHEN Camilla Bowman was dying of cancer, her husband Chris saw firsthand the pain and suffering she was going through.

The Winwick couple had received the devastating news of Camilla’s breast cancer diagnosis just a week before they were due to get married in 2011, but would go on to found e-cigarette manufacturer Bowman Specialised Liquids after vaping had helped the pair to quit smoking.

And Chris had also sought a way to alleviate his wife’s pain, with his research leading him to come across CBD - a ‘powerful new form of marijuana but without the associated high and negatives of traditional cannabis consumption’.

He said: “When Camilla was diagnosed with cancer a week before our wedding, we went down the avenue of using electronic cigarettes.

“But at the time she was terminally ill, and she was suffering and in pain.

“I wanted to stop her from having seven fits a day, so I looked online to see if there was anything I could do.

“That was when I decided to make my own CBD for Camilla, and after that she didn’t have one fit.”

Camilla died at the age of 28 in 2013, but Chris has now made it his mission to spread the word about CBD.

Warrington Guardian:

Chris Bowman

Studies have shown that CBD can help to treat conditions including epilepsy, anxiety, schizophrenia and heart disease.

And now Chris and business partner Mark Leathem will open the CBD Store on Sankey Street in the town centre.

The CBD Store’s products - manufactured in the company’s own laboratory in Appleton and imported from Europe - will include creams for acne and eczema as well as lip balms for cold sores.

Chris added: “CBD didn’t stop Camilla’s cancer from spreading, but they’d given her three months to live and she lasted a year.

“After Camilla died I decided to progress with this product, because I believe in it.

“Our goal is to educate people in Warrington about this and help them to understand it - we’ve had multiple meetings with trading standards and we have gone through the regulations.

“I’m so passionate about this, and I’d like to change things so that the world can be better in 20 years’ time.

“My journey isn’t about money because there’s no point being the richest man in the graveyard - it’s about educating people.

“I wouldn’t invest my money and time in this if I didn’t think it would work - I believe that in the next 10 years this will be one of the biggest medical treatments out there.”

Having first started out with an e-cigarette stall in Warrington Market, Chris’ business portfolio now boasts more than 100 stores across the country.

Warrington Guardian: Camilla and Chris Bowman with the devices

Camila and Chris Bowman

But his motivation remains the same.

He said: “The experiences I’ve had in my personal life have led me to this.

“My wife was the most beautiful woman in the world - she was my angel, sent to me to change me as a person because I was going down the wrong path.

“I believe we all have a purpose on earth, and mine is simple.

“My purpose was to stop people smoking - which I’ve achieved - and now my next journey is this.

“This journey is because of her.”