Recognition for business owner

A Fleet Hargate woman is delighted after her company has been featured on a website showcasing small business owners with disabilities.

Christine Bowyer-Sopp and her business Soboan Candles, has been highlighted on the Dentrepreneur website.

Christine (58) started the business after having to take early retirement following a stroke.

She has restricted mobility, reduced energy levels, memory issues and vertigo, due to fibromyalgia and a stroke.

She used making candles as her therapy but decided to turn it into a business.

Christine has also mastered the craft of soapmaking and has added artisan natural soaps to her product collection.

Christine’s love of fine fragrances started when she lost her son to cancer.

She said: “While grieving for my son, I used fragrance to help my depression: simply walking around my house and smelling a lovely fragrance made me smile, and I welcomed anything that made me feel a little happy inside.

“I started making scented wax melts and candles as part of my rehabilitation from grief and the stroke: the fragrances lifted my mood, the physical elements of making things helped my leg, arm and hand movements, and the chemistry aspect stimulated my brain.

“Making scented things became my therapy.”

Finding highly scented wax melts was difficult so Christine started making her own and exploring different fragrance oils from various companies.

Eventually she found fragrance oils she was happy with and began making her own wax melts so she could walk around the house all day smelling beautiful scents which made her feel happy and taking her mind off her grief.