The 78th Day of the End to End in 2019 was a walk through parts of Ayrshire. In fact I walked through parts of North, South and East Ayrshire according to the road signs. I also saw great views of West Ayrshire, which is basically the sea. Later we went to Largs and saw it close up.
The other great thing to emerge from day 78 was my plan for a personal ice cream delivery service called Deliverice. Here’s what I wrote about it a year ago:
Imagine, a cyclist with a portable freezer powered by wind or solar or even pedal power, a range of flavours from a local source, following a Lejogger on her route. Readily available ice-cream supplies would be very welcome in those parts of the country where the ice cream sellers are not so common. I’d call it ‘Deliverice’!
Fairtrade Cornettos, delivered to me! This could ring out across the country.
What with lock down, one thing and another, I’ve not actually progressed this idea yet, but the franchise is still available if there’s any budding entrepreneurs out there who might be interested. Not so much Dragon’s Den as Dragon’s Ice Cream Parlour.
It’s just what we need to kick start the economy post COVID19. We can use local milk and local flavours, with everything powered by renewable energy. It would be an ethical business using fair trade ingredients but also paying fair wages and run as a co-operative. As well as supplying people walking the LEJOG there could be local versions for walkers on the TPT, C2C and so forth. There could be ice cream canal boats too and maybe horse boxes that had been converted to selling ice cream.
What we need in 2020 is more ethical, green, fairtrade and co-operative businesses. I have absolutely no experience in such matters but I know what I don’t like. I’d like it to be much easier to find such businesses so as to be able to choose to use such services where possible. One sandwich shop can look very much like another so could we have a way of recognising those which have made the effort to do things fairly. This goes for businesses of any size. Instead of ‘You’re fired’ or ‘I’m out’ what about a programme in which backers advise how to set up and run such enterprises for community benefit. I can’t be the only one who is turned off by the shouty show-offs.
As for flavours, well fairtrade chocolate obviously and buckthorn is growing on me, but so is salted caramel.
From the remembered bible: Jesus said: ‘You are the salt of the earth’.
May we live salty, Encouraging One:
May we spice up community life with our co-operation in action;
May we have a real thirst for trade justice;
May we go green in everything we make and bake;
When the heat is on, may we be the coolest collective.
JAL: 01.07.2020 in Longdendale.