Former owner of Newport Pagnell shop struck by vehicle thanks community for support
The former owner of a pottery painting business in Newport Pagnell, which was struck by a vehicle on Tuesday July 21, has thanked the community for their support in the aftermath of the incident.
Kilning Me Softly, located in the High Street, has been forced to close following the incident, which happened just after 9.30am.
Harriet Thompson, who founded the business in 2013 before stepping down earlier this summer, told the Citizen she had cut short an overseas trip after the staff member who was in the shop at the time contacted her.
Harriet said: “The member of staff was on her own because the shop had not opened to the public at the time, and when she phoned me she was very distressed and in shock at what had happened.
“She was driven home and supported by her family and was not injured.”
Harriet added that a structural engineer was due to come out and assess the damage, saying: “The vehicle crashed through the gas pipe and camera security systems.
“The building cannot be occupied now so it is hard to say what the damage is, but I think the kilns might be affected.
“At the moment it is a big hole in the shop and has been all boarded up.”
Part of the High Street was closed for several hours following the incident, with Bucks Fire and Rescue reporting that the collision involved two cars and one building.
The service said it worked with Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service and gas engineers to make the scene safe.
A fire service spokesperson said: “Crews assessed the stability of the affected building, isolated utilities and established safety cordons while gas engineers carried out further investigations and isolation of the gas supply.
“Firefighters remained on scene until the affected vehicles were recovered.”
Harriet added she wished to thank the community for their support following the incident saying: “My phone was flooded with messages and emails yesterday from people offering support to the business.
“I would also like to thank everyone who helped the staff member in the street just after the incident.
“It is too early to say how long the shop will have to be closed for.
“I am gutted that this happened at the start of the school summer holidays, which is always a busy time for us.
“I feel for Niamh that this has happened {just after she has taken over} and I hope she can relaunch after the incident.
“I hope she gets lots of support and that something good can come out of it.”
The business, whose title is a play on the 1973 Roberta Flack hit ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ was nominated for the title of UK’s Best Shop Name in 2023.
When she stepped down earlier in the summer, Harriet told the Citizen that running Kilning Me Softly had been ‘the most beautiful experience’ and said that her long-standing colleague Niamh Davey was taking the reins and ‘making it her own.’