Jeremy Piercy, the manager of Shared Earth Wholesale in York, was nearly killed on Monday morning (March 21) by a falling lamp post outside the gift shop, which had been knocked down by a passing lorry.
An electricity box, in front of which Jeremy locks up his bicycle every day, was smashed open by the lamp post only 20 minutes before he arrived for work. Jeremy frequently shows passers-by where he locks his bike – to an old ‘foot scraper’ which he believes is probably from the 18th century. These were used when the streets were made of packed down earth before stone or concrete was introduced. In those days, people travelled on foot or by horse and foot scrapers were essential at rainy times. Few are left now, and Jeremy considers the one outside the store one of the ‘unsung heroes’ of tourist attractions.
Shared Earth Wholesale was established by Jeremy in 1986 as a Fair Trade business which would create jobs in developing countries, encouraging sustainability, recycling and other eco initiatives in the process. It sells Fair Trade, recycled, eco-friendly and ethical products, with the mission to ‘tackle the climate crisis and create a fairer, more sustainable world’. The company has grown to become one of the largest distributors of Fair Trade and eco products in the UK, with sales of nearly £4 million and increasing every year, as the public becomes more aware about the need to tackle climate change. It supplies wholesale gifts including fashion, homeware, decor/garden, greeting cards, stationery, and home fragrance to more than 1,500 retailers around the UK including gift shops, museums, tourist attractions, and garden centres. It expects to increase this number further when it exhibits at the Natural & Organic Show in London next week.
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