Man Started Ice Cream Truck Business to Destress from His Paramedic Job. Now, He’s Making Six Figures
Man Started Ice Cream Truck Business to Destress from His Paramedic Job. Now, He’s Making Six Figures
Lexi LaneSun, April 26, 2026 at 9:30 AM UTC
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An ice cream truck (stock image).Credit: Getty -
James Shemmeld started his ice cream business in 2020 to improve his mental health after running an ambulance business during the pandemic
He now owns four ice cream trucks and balances the business with his work as a private paramedic
Shemmeld says both jobs help connect him with the community
A man juggles two jobs as a private paramedic and an ice cream man, but points out they are more alike than people might think.
James Shemmeld, a 46-year-old from Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England, began his "magical" job in the ice cream business in 2020.
Shemmeld told the BBC that during the pandemic, he was visiting patients at home through his ambulance company and some had died a week or two later when he went back to check on them, which impacted his mental health.
A paramedic (stock image).Credit: Getty
"It was difficult, it was really difficult, because that was every day you were doing that, and it got to the point where I realized that my mental health was being affected quite severely," he said.
Because of this, Shemmeld's wife thought he should do something to take his mind off it. "So I went and bought an ice cream van, which was a bit of a shock to her to begin with," he said.
Shemmeld explained that he worked for an ice cream man when he was young, and the man gave him his Ford Transit to carry on the legacy. He also designed the artwork for the original van.
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"Who gets given something like that?" he said. "Something you had when you were young and all of a sudden it's come back, and now it's yours."
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Now, Shemmeld has four ice cream trucks that travel locally and to events across the nation.
"It's magical ... you don't have to think or focus on anything, you just get in the van, you play the music, you stop, you serve the customers, you engage with the customers, you have a laugh, a joke," he told the BBC.
He now earns an average of £60,000 (about $81,022) a year, along with his £200,000 ($270,075) annual earnings from the private ambulance business, according to Express & Star. He only sells the ice cream for £1 ($1.35), though, as he notes it's not "about the money."
Along with adding drivers to his seven-days-a-week ice cream business, Shemmeld still goes on trips to help others with his ambulance. “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. It's still a big part of my life, but the ice cream is where my heart lies," he told Express & Star.
However, even while driving the ice cream truck, Shemmeld still has people in the community asking him for medical advice. He explained, "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.”
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A ice cream cone being served from a vendor to a customer (stock image).Credit: Getty
"You drive down the street, you make a noise, and everyone runs towards you," he said to the BBC about comparing the two roles.
Shemmeld added, "All I need on top of this ice cream van now is a blue light, and I could do both jobs in one."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
