James now works as a paramedic and an ice cream man
A paramedic has revealed he makes £60,000 from his ice cream van side hustle – which he started to relieve the stress of his day job. James Shemmeld, 46, now runs four ice cream vans which combined make an average of £60,000-a-year.
This is on top of the £200,000 private ambulance and paramedic service he also runs from his home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. He used to sell ices and 99s as a kid and loved it so much he splashed out £13,000 on a second-hand van and did it up during the pandemic.
The dad-of-four started selling ice creams as a way to destress after witnessing patients die. He said: “I started work as a paramedic with West Midlands Ambulance Service in 2013 and then started my private business in 2015.
“When we first started the business it was first aid training, then we branched out to event paramedical services. In 2020 we had a contract visiting people with Covid to give advice. My team were assessing the patients but many were dying the next week.
“It was depressing, I was spending weeks away from home and my wife said I’d changed. It was really difficult, because that was everyday you were doing that, and it got to the point where I realised that my mental health was being affected quite severely.
“One day I decided to buy an ice cream van to cheer myself up and to distract myself from my day job. I searched on eBay and found one for £13,000. I did it up and got it certified and just started selling ice creams. In 2020 the ice cream van was a side hustle but from 2021 onwards it really took off and I had to buy more vans to keep up with demand.”
James says his ice cream business is now “taking over” from his day job as a paramedic. He added: “It’s just different, with the ice cream van I get in it and drive it and I’m away with the fairies. None of the stresses of the medical side exist. They both involve a van with people running towards it, but they’re polar opposites and I love that.
“The ice cream van is the main work now for me, it’s taken over – I do the medical as and when. I mainly do international rescue now. Last week I got a call from a family in Thailand who were stuck with no money. I flew out to Bangkok to get this man back to the UK but sadly he passed away before I could get there.
“I do the international transfer and the events side. It’s still a big part of my life, but the ice cream is where my heart lies.”
James’ passion for ice cream started when he was a youngster. He said: “When I was a kid my mum was single and when the local ice cream man Paulo came around she took a fancy to him. His way to get in my mum’s good books was to take me with him.
“Paulo was my father figure, he taught me and brought me up and installed morals. I stopped around 20 and ended up doing the paramedic thing but deep down I really wanted to get back to the ice cream vans.”
In a touching gesture, his former ice cream mentor Paulo reached out to him and gave him the first van he worked in as a kid. James now works as an ice cream man three to four days a week – with some regulars getting medical advice along with their chilled treats.
He said: “People have found out I’m medically trained and do come up and ask for a consult while ordering an ice cream. I had one woman come up to me and say I’ve got this rash and she lifted her top up for me to take a look. You’re never not a paramedic. I’ve got a defib in the back of the ice cream van.
“I’ve even had to park the van up and rush to help people who are suffering a medical emergency.”
James says he only sells ice creams for £1, making him one of the cheapest in the country. He said: “I don’t want to charge too much for my ice creams. It wasn’t about the money, it was about improving my mental health. I love what I do.”
