by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Ashortwalk Ltd. is a (small) product design and manufacturing company based near Truro in Cornwall, which is the country at the very south-western tip of Britain. Any further and you fall into the sea. In fact, Cornwall is actually a separate country attached to the UK.
It was started by Dan (the company, not the county/country) in 2003, who left his previous job as a product designer/inventor at Dyson and moved to Cornwall in order to realize a long-held desire: to set up a business, and live, “a short walk” from the sea. Hence that name “Ashortwalk” for the company.
The key to staying competitive in the global market from a shed in Cornwall has always been to design and make unique and functional products that fulfill a need.
While they no longer work from a shed the philosophy has remained the same, and most importantly, they have remained a short walk from the sea; well, just.
The difference in the operation compared to many other companies that do recycling and upcycling is that all products are collected, recycled, redesigned and re-manufactured in Britain. Nothing is “Made in China”.
Ashortwalk is a rare example of British-based design and -manufacture. Far too many companies may do the designing here and even the collecting as to recyclables, but everything is them shipped abroad to be made there, such as in China, and is then shipped all the way back here. Not so with Ashortwalk and long may it continue.
Their entire range is called “eco range” and there is an outdoor range, and indoor one, and a coastal one. In addition they also have eco house signs.
The material is also very much suited for chalkboards – once called blackboards – and I would love to see specialized ones in every pub and restaurant in Britain.
And while we are at it why don't we replace the blackboards in every school with an eco range one?
© 2012
