Squeeze Box, invented by Brian and Laura Wollen of Cardboard Carpenters Limited, has been granted Millennium Products status by the Design Council after Prime Minister Tony Blair challenged businesses to show that Britain is the creative powerhouse of the world.

The news was announced by the Prime Minister at the launch of the fifth tranche of the Design Council's Millennium Products selection initiative.

Squeeze Box, designed and invented in Yateley by Cardboard Carpenters, is a self closing box. It comes in many shapes and sizes for just about anything needing packaging. Squeeze Box needs just a little squeeze to turn it into a three dimensional box from a flat pack, another squeeze and it magically opens! If the box is dropped or the squeeze is released, it closes. This saves spills and wastage. It is then ready for re-cycling if you can bear to part with it!

According to Director, Brian Wollen, "We know the tremendous impact Squeeze Box had the Tomorrows World Live event where the stand was surrounded by masses of young people chanting 'Squeeze Box is cool'. It went on to win a Gold, Silver and Commendation for 'best design'. Squeeze Box is gathering a massive amount of interest from all over the world by companies and investors, marketing experts and those interested in this form of engineering. I'm delighted that as a Millennium Product, Squeeze Box will be exhibited at the Spiral of Innovation at the Millennium Dome'.

Andrew Summers, Chief Executive of the Design Council said: 'We offer our warmest congratulations to Brian and Laura Wollen of Cardboard Carpenters Limited for the selection of Squeeze Box as a Millennium Product. We sincerely hope that this wonderful invention will be a big success for the company and we hope that Millennium Product status will encourage Cardboard Carpenters in further successful innovations'.