CRYSTAL CLEAR

Unveiling Wight Crystal’s New Range of Glass Bottles

Over on the Wight Crystal production line, a new sound fills the air of the bottling department — the gentle clink of glass — hinting at an exciting new development. In their drive to become more planet-friendly and to give their customers more choice, Wight Crystal has unveiled a brand new (and rather stylish) range of plastic-free, shiny, recycled glass content bottles for their still and sparkling waters, helping reduce plastic waste and offering a sleeklooking product that wouldn’t be out of place on a Michelin-starred dining table. Since 1988, the company has been bottling fresh Isle of Wight spring water from a natural water source in the woody environs of Knighton, a hamlet of Newchurch, nestled just underneath the Downs. Their water, once bottled and packed, makes its way to over five hundred Island businesses, as well as homes, farm shops, and a few suppliers across the Solent too. Over time, Wight Crystal’s range has expanded to include water coolers and refills, carbonated drinks (including red apple and elderflower, as well as traditional lemonade and ginger beer), and no-added-sugar, vegan-friendly Juice Bursts (with flavours including raspberry and watermelon, apple, or a

Wight Crystal - Changing Lives with Every Bottle

Unknown to some, Wight Crystal is actually a rather remarkable charity — employing disabled Islanders in their bottling plant, giving them skills, training, and a boost of confidence too. All profits are diverted towards another enterprise of the company — The Way Forward Programme — which provides support and activities to those living locally with learning disabilities and/or autism, including scavenger hunt, allotment, farming, swimming, bowling, cooking, creative, choir, dance and drama sessions at their outstanding centre in Newport, or in the community.

As if that wasn’t enough, they also support NHS referrals back into work through their Working Towards Wellbeing enterprise, providing CV writing, job searches, and in-work support. It’s all part of the plan of parent company OSEL Enterprises, who, thanks to a recent funding boost from the local branch of NFU Mutual and Tesco Help to Grow Fund, hope to do much, much more in the future.

zesty, refreshing orange).

The team at Wight Crystal has already been busy shaking up their operations to make their products as sustainable as possible, ensuring all packaging is recyclable and investing in a new, larger water tanker that can transport twenty thousand litres of crystal-clear water at a time — meaning fewer trips to the spring! Now, their new range of sophisticated glass bottles (with recyclable bottle and aluminium caps) is the next step in their move to an eco-friendlier future.

wightcrystal.org.uk