“When I first saw the name of Randy
Wood carved into that Grand Fir, I had no idea what an important and influential
figure he would become in my life.”
Stuart Page, Randy Wood Ltd.
As Stuart Page and business partner, Kevin Nuttall, celebrate the launch of their new Folkestone based clothing business, ‘Randy Wood’, they ponder the legacy of a true English legend and the role he’s now playing in their lives - even though they’ve never personally met this man of mystery!
“The idea for starting a range of quality clothing dedicated to Randy Wood came from when I was on holiday in Canada, trekking through the forests and lakes of British Columbia”, explains Stuart, “One day I came across a solitary tree overlooking Muncho Lake with the name Randy Wood carved in it. The carving, the tree, the lake and the location were so beautiful that they just became forever etched in my mind”
Later that day, Stuart stopped off at a local diner and after getting into conversation with some of the locals, started asking if anyone knew about this Randy Wood character. “The next two hours just flew by as I listened intently to what they were telling me - he was an adventurer, a lover, a fighter, a crack shot, an inventor, a musician, a grizzly wrestler and it appeared someone prone to ridiculous exaggeration. The man was a local hero and a total inspiration!”
Stuart continues, “I spent the next few days in the area finding out more about him and the more I heard the more I felt a connection growing with him. I even met some of his friends and distant ‘relatives’, it was amazing”. By the time his holiday in Canada came to an end he had assembled enough pictures, stories and evidence to write a complete book!
Randy it seems, disappeared many years ago, but although his whereabouts are now unknown, he is still very much alive, still sending postcards back every now and then to a select few of his friends.
So, a few years later when Stuart and Kevin, were looking for a name for their new business they felt that as pioneers of a new kind that they should set up in honour of Mr. Randy Wood and wherever possible follow his lead. So with a copy of his original carving as their logo, printed brightly on their t-shirts, Stuart and Kevin are committed to keeping up the memory of this International man of mystery.
“It’s our mission to keep his memory alive and for anyone who wants to get their hands on a little bit of Randy Wood!” says Kevin, “His adventures are so incredible that we have decided to dedicate a whole website to his honour www.randywood.co.uk . We are also launching the first season of Randy Wood clothing in early 2010 from selected retail outlets in our home county of Kent and from our online store at www.randywoodclothing.co.uk. We plan to start off selling limited edition shirts from carefully selected retailers, but as time goes on we want his reputation to grow and for more and more people to be proud to wear the name of Randy Wood!”
Safe in the hands of two Kent businessmen Randy Wood lives on!
