{"id":552013,"date":"2026-04-26T17:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T17:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/552013\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T17:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T17:45:10","slug":"paramedic-says-ice-cream-side-hustle-helped-save-his-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/552013\/","title":{"rendered":"Paramedic says ice cream side hustle helped save his mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

A British paramedic has built a successful ice cream business as a side hustle, turning to the sweet treat trade as a way to cope with the pressures of emergency medical work.<\/p>\n

James Shemmeld, 46, now runs four ice cream trucks<\/a> that bring in an average of about $80,000 a year, news agency SWNS reported.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s in addition to his private ambulance and paramedic service, which generates roughly $270,000 annually and operates out of his home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England.<\/p>\n

NEW ICE CREAM TRENDS CHURN UP INTEREST, BUT ONE CLASSIC STILL RULES THE $7.5B INDUSTRY<\/a><\/p>\n

He first returned to selling ice cream<\/a> during the COVID-19 pandemic after struggling with the emotional toll of his job.<\/p>\n

\"James <\/p>\n

Shemmeld (pictured) runs a successful ice cream side business alongside his ambulance service as a way to cope with the pressures of emergency medical work. (SWNS)<\/p>\n

“It was really difficult \u2026 and it got to the point where I realized my mental health<\/a> was being affected quite severely,” he told SWNS.<\/p>\n

Looking for a way to cope, Shemmeld bought a secondhand ice cream truck for about $17,500 and began selling treats in his spare time.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n

“In 2020 the ice cream truck was a side hustle, but from 2021 onward it really took off and I had to buy more trucks to keep up with demand,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"James <\/p>\n

The ice cream truck started as a side hustle in 2020, but demand surged from 2021, leading Shemmeld (pictured) to expand and buy more trucks. (SWNS)<\/p>\n

He said the business now makes up the bulk of his work, while he continues to take on paramedic jobs<\/a> as needed.<\/p>\n

With the ice cream trucks, he said, the experience is a welcome contrast to his medical work.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/a><\/p>\n

“None of the stresses of the medical side exist,” he said.<\/p>\n

Shemmeld\u2019s connection to the business dates back to his childhood, when a local ice cream vendor<\/a> became a mentor and father figure to him.<\/p>\n

\"James <\/p>\n

Shemmeld\u2019s ties to the business go back to childhood, when a local ice cream seller became both a mentor and a father figure to him. (SWNS)<\/p>\n

That same mentor later gifted him the first truck he worked in as a child.<\/p>\n

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/a><\/p>\n

Today, Shemmeld operates his ice cream trucks several days a week \u2014 sometimes fielding medical questions from customers along the way.<\/p>\n

“You\u2019re never not a paramedic,” he said, noting he keeps a defibrillator in the truck in case of emergencies.<\/p>\n

Despite the success, he said the business was never about the money.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t want to charge too much \u2026 it was about improving my mental health,” he said. “I love what I do.”<\/p>\n

Kelly McGreal is a production assistant with the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A British paramedic has built a successful ice cream business…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552014,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[189793,21472,189794,102,1371,655,1906,6623,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-552013","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-dessert-meals","9":"tag-food-drink","10":"tag-food-trucks","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-jobs","13":"tag-lifestyle","14":"tag-mental-health","15":"tag-mentalhealth","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/552014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}