LATEST NEWS - January 2026:

I am afraid everything went a bit pear shaped in the Autumn. We got most of our deliveries out but it took a ridiculous and totally unsustainable amount of time. When Mick (the Muscle) who had affected most of our deliveries for some 20 years simply disappeared at the start of September, I tried mackling on for the next three months with the help of customers- our delivery rate dropped from 8-12 per day with Mick to 1 or 2 per day with me, sometimes none!

The last week of November I drove over 1000 miles, Dublin to Larne in the north, to Scotland and then Leicestershire to restock then Fishgard on the very tip of the Gower’ (4.00am to 4.00am the next day- I put petrol, not diesel, in the van in the morning and lost 7 hours and £400 in the process; the next morning I had an email saying the pot was broken!), and then Eastbourne. During this whole period I only managed one successful delivery. Simply not sustainable.

The van had to be garaged for essential repairs where it remains now. I had been sleeping in it for three months, it was a complete mess, and I was homeless- the business had run out of cash months earlier and I was borrowing from friends and family and my pension to keep going. I was in an awful state both physically and mentally and tried to get a flight home to rest as they were so cheap, £15. It took two attempts over two days and only succeeded because ex student volunteers working in Assisted Travel at the airport recognised me, put me in a wheelchair and held the plane up over an hour to get me onto it. God bless them!! When I got back, Wednesday lunchtime I went straight to bed expecting to wake up on Thursday- it was Saturday afternoon when I woke up!!

I have been bedridden since and only now am feeling strong enough to spend a couple of hours at my computer each day. Mentally, my head is starting to clear and I have had a lot of time to reflect:

1. True Fair Trading CIC will have to cease to exist. I am physically not strong enough to set up the shows and it is impossible for me to affect deliveries. This is a personal tragedy as I enjoyed talking to the customers hugely, I will miss you (most of you anyway).

2. I will continue with the fair trade supporting vulnerable and hugely talented communities around the world. I have sold my house and will be using the proceeds to make purchases. On reflection this is what I really want to do with time I have left.

3. I will operate through Community (Social) Enterprise Hubs, the first one of which will open very soon in the Midlands. The ‘Hubs’ will be community based centres displaying stock, bringing local youth together through the community to support them in making a difference locally, globally and in themselves, the HUBS will be spaces for meetings, giving talks, running workshops. They will be amazing. I sincerely hope some of you will be interested in helping to create local HUBS to you. The HUB keeps 30% of sale proceeds/ revenues; 30% go to worthy causes of its choice – social or nature, local or global; 30% go back into stock and 10% helps cover administration costs. Let me know what you think.

4. We STILL have orders to get out!! 2-3 days worth (at 8-12 per day) mainly around and south of London and in Yorkshire and one in Wales (sorry Rachel!). I need to replace Mick with one or two string people for perhaps one week. Any and all suggestions welcome. I have a few deliveries on the continent but am quite happy doing them myself.

IF ANYONE HAS AN OUTSTANDING ORDER OR QUERY ON THEIR DELIVERY AND ARE NOT IN TOUCH WITH ME ALREADY THEN PLEASE EMAIL ME ON [email protected] so that I do not forget about you.

​Ed

Read the other posts here.

Local to Global

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