The Wild Wax Melts team from Carisbrooke and Medina College have made it through three rounds of the Young Enterprise ‘Company of the Year’ programme to reach the National Finals.

Having been awarded best company at both the Isle of Wight Grand Final at the Island Riding Centre and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Final at the Ordnance Survey in Southampton, they attended the South East Regional Finals yesterday at Sambung KX in London.

They engaged in a rigorous process involving delivering a Company Report, interviews, creating a promotional video and finally making a live presentation to the judges and audience.

Wild Wax Melts – Freya Eason and Sophie Sanders from Carisbrooke College and Archie Smith from Medina College – have created, manufactured and retailed a range of beautiful and eco-friendly wax melts. They have become a popular fixture at trade events on the Isle of Wight and along their journey have also won awards for Finance, Digital and Marketing aspects of their company.

They have been guided by their Business Advisor Tracy Osborn, Director of Fundraising and Operations at St Mary’s Abbey Quarr and supported by Sarah Coetzee and Zoe Magee of the IWEF Careers Office. The Isle of Wight Young Enterprise Company Programme is delivered in conjunction with Ed-WISE, a local community benefit society with the support and sponsorship of several Isle of Wight businesses. 

At the South East regionals, they were against tough competition from teams across Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and the Channel Islands, and this is the first time that a team from the Isle of Wight has reached the National finals. Their achievement is all the more remarkable given that they are all Year 10 students and were competing against mainly Sixth Form teams from independent schools. The team have been an inspiration in terms of their entrepreneurship, energy, commitment and work ethic and are fine ambassadors for the Island.

The National Final takes place online on 6th June, with the winners progressing to European finals in Sicily.