.jpg)
|
Fire Maiden Fair Trade opened online this month, selling ethical products nationally, but based in rural Suffolk.
Fire Maiden is one of a growing number of new ventures looking outside the traditional business model for inspiration, and going for it as a social enterprise. This is great news for the locals of Mid-Suffolk, where the combination of little industry and long commuting times to what work is available mean chances to get on the career ladder can be scarce. Fire Maiden seeks to address this proactively by generating income and opportunities for those trying to get a start on their career.
Suffolk is often seen as a relatively affluent county, so does not get the same central financial support that some areas do to build industry and generate employment. Suffolk is, however, a county of contrasts, where the very wealthy live in close proximity to the very poor. Agricultural labourers, among the lowest paid workers in the country, now find rents in ‘scenic’ locations are sky high and public services are being centralised in cost-saving measures- emphasising the remoteness and transport problems across much of the countryside in this area.
Re-localisation of employment is a key component of the plans of many grassroots movements like the Transition Towns Initiative, cutting the carbon costs associated with commuting and revitalising communities.
Fire Maiden was launched at the start of August by Alyssa O’Byrne in response to the lack of
|