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Moray woman launches new business and promises free delivery after being ripped off for years

Laura Hart is hitting out at delivery charges.
Laura Hart is hitting out at delivery charges.

A woman so fed up of being ripped off has vowed to offer free delivery to all customers at her new business.

Laura Hart was born and brought up on Lewis, where she and the rest of the island are forced to pay extortionate delivery fees whenever they buy goods from the mainland.

After jumping through numerous hoops and paying hidden fees whenever she purchased items online, she is adamant that she will not be subjecting her customers to the same ordeal.

She has recently set up Jacobite Heroine, an online shop selling products such as jewellery, artwork and homeware.

The 35-year-old aims to show off the wares of creative people from throughout the country, and has already secured 12 creators who will be supplying her products.

But she is determined customers will not be penalised for where they live.

Online retailers who inflate deliver charges to send goods to northern Scotland have been in the spotlight recently since Moray MSP Richard Lochhead launched a campaign to end the practice.

It is estimated that extra charges added to parcels cost Scottish consumers about £36million every year.


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Miss Hart said: “I’m originally from the Isle of Lewis and delivery fees there were hefty and I always got quite frustrated by that.

“Some companies would even refuse to deliver products there so I know how frustrating it could be to get huge delivery costs whacked onto my order or get told that companies don’t even deliver to the area at all.

“You can feel alienated because of this and its weird that once you put your postcode in, it gets highlighted and they add extra costs to items that are not even large or heavy and would incur the high postage anyway.”

Miss Hart, who now lives in Urquhart, just outside Elgin, said she hopes her business will “champion” Scottish designers to the rest of the world.

“I’ve only just launched the business but so far I’ve had a really positive reaction as designers think it is a good idea and I’ve had a very supportive atmosphere thus far,” she added.

“The name of the business comes from the story of Flora MacDonald and how she helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after his defeat at Culloden was already familiar.

“While researching the topic one day, one phrase in particular, used to describe Flora, kept standing out; Jacobite Heroine.”