Wy, Awards Le itn —<_100% VEGAN GENT Od plerersoms. Ney RA aaa Pera CARE FOR ANIMALS ~ CARE FOR YOUR HEALTH cee) One of the most common reasons for not giving up dairy produce is that there is no acceptable alternative to cheese. Well, not any more! Bute Island Foods now offers 9 delicious flavours of hard Sheese and 5 wonderfully soft and totally creamy, spreadable Creamy Sheese. So, you don’t have to miss out on any of your old favourites, but you can give lactose and gluten a miss, and rest assured that no animals have ee eee te Scns ea ee ee Re ee a ea Cree who do not eat animal, egg or dairy products for ethical or allergy reasons, with real non-animal alternatives, Available from your local HEALTH FOOD shop & online from veggiestuff.com & goodnessdirect.co.uk. Best Vegan Product Va Best Vegan Cheese Dru ener me Adhd Vival’s 15th Anniversary Awards De eC eee eee ek et ere ee wera et ie ec eee ee CR UN eee uct hag Winner Yaoh 2009 Environmental Awards Best Vegan Manufacturer oes Tel:+44 (0) 1700 505357 CarYou wil notice from our highlights pages that Vegan Society staff have attended 2a lot of shows and ‘events this quarter. By continuing to bring veganism to mainstream events we are engaging positively with our target audience and massively ising the profile of especially as we sponsored vegan cooking campetitions at two of the events which got Chefs very excited about creating gourmet vegan food in live competition (See the highlights pages for further details) After a year off we are re-launching our awards These aim to recognize the best vegan products, achievements and services and we hope that you wil find time to make some nominations (see page 19 for detail) In this issue we feature an article on slow vegan travel and we also have important information ‘about The Vegan Society elections and AGM which we would encourage all members to 34 read. Frank Thunder and GP Filip Bickley 36 impar their wisdom regarding prescribed medicines and if you lve witha rescued rabbit do 39 check-out Sammy Keetey’s advice on how to best care for your fury friend 1 If, like me, you have a garden or allotment and 42 lke to grow your own vegetables using organic a4 stock-itee methods then | hone that you have 2 good crop this year and hope that eveyone 45 has a lovely sunny summer. 47 Rosamund Raha Editor 48 The Vegan Society | Donald Watson House 21 Hylton Street Négan Editor Resamund Raha (©The Vegan Society Hockley Local rate 0845 45 88244 | Tal 0121 523 1730 | Fax 0121 523 1749 email: infos@vegansociety.com | wwuw.Negansacietycom Highlights From the CEO Advocacy / Curious Vegetables From the Chair International News Active Vegans Tortoise Family Travels Megan the Vegan News and Information Vegan Society Awards Vegans & Prescribed Medicines Election and AGM Youth and Education Recipes Shoparound Reviews Postbag / Nutrition Guidelines Rabbit Care Grow Vegan Vegan Runners Events Local Contacts List Staff and Council Listings Classifieds Membership form Crosswords Birmingham | B186HI | UK Fegieredchorty no. 279228 Company Reglsraton no, 1468880 ‘The views expressed in The Vegan do not necessarily reflect those ofthe Eitor or of the Vegan Society Counc. ‘Nothing printed shouldbe construed to be Vegan Society policy unless so stated. The Society accepts 1 iablty {or any matter inthe magazine. The acceptance of advertisement (nduding inser) does not imply endorsement. ‘The incision of product Information should not be construed as constituting offical Vegan Society approval for the product its intended use, or ts manufacturerfdstrbutor. Contributonsimended or publication are welcomed, ‘but ursollted materas wl nt be returned unis accompanieg by a SAE. Contributions wil usualy be edited. Design ww douchnutdesign co.uk Printed on Recycled paper ‘ve Voge | Summee2011 4HOSPITALITY SHOW. NEC 26 JANUARY The Vegan Society sponsored the Vegan Challenge category in Salon Culinaire at Hospitality atthe NEC on 26 January 201 |. Six chefs competed in lve theatre watched by an audience from the catering and hospitality industry. Sandor Oia from the Crown Moran Hotel in London won the Gold award with his menu of celeriac and parsnip polenta with Puy lentil, pan roasted roots, soya beans and spiced plum chutney. Kevin Whitiock from Christ's Hospital School, Horsham, won Silver and Brendan Baxter, UK Skis, won Bronze. Sen Murphy, UK Skis, Andrew Blackman, The NEC Group and Clare Wilett from Bedford College aso competed Our Chiel Executive, Nigel Winter, presented the awards and the compere invited chefs to contact The Vegan Society for adie on catering for vegans. www hospitaltyshow.co uk “gUrAass INTERNATIONAL FOOD EVENT EXCEL, LONDON, 13-16 MARCH IFE is the largest food and erink event in the UK. itis attended by exhibitors and visitors from all over the world We went with three ai; to encourage manufacturers and caterers to extend their vegan range, to persuade them to clearly label existing vegan items, and to promote our ‘trademark. Over the four days of the event, our stand was staffed by our Chief Executive, Nigel Winter, our Head of Business Development, George Gill and our Advocacy Offices, Rebecca Henderson. They spoke to a wide range of people ‘working within the food industry. George was able to make a number of contacts regarding the trademark and Rebecca had the opportunity to speak to care home and hospital caterers about vegan catering and The Vegan Societys Care Catering Award © summer 2011 CHIEF EXECUTIVE MEETS BOND ‘Our Chief Executive attended his first BOND meeting recently. BOND are ‘an umbrella organisation for 370 “ organisations working in overseas development. They will keep us informed about UK and EU consultations that we might want to have an input on and have 2 number of working groups, We hope to be able to influence thinking on plant based nutrition and stock-free farming to benefit People in poorer countries. http:/twrw.bond.org.uk/pages/about-us.html VEGANISM IN PRESTIGIOUS SOCIOLOGICAL JOURNAL In The Vegan Summer 2008, we featured an article called 3 fadaish, fanatical diet cu: Ant-vegan bias in UK newspapers, by Dr Matthew Cole and Dr Karen Morgan The anicle wes @ summary of a full academic paper called ‘egaphobia’ also written by Matthew and Karen which has now been published in The British Journal of Secology which i the most prestigious sociological journal in the UK {and one of the top journals in the world), 50 ts really quite impressive o get veganism and speciesism discussed in a ‘mainstream’ journal ike this Cole, M. & Morgan, K. (2011) ‘Vegaphabia: Derogatory discourses of veganism and the reproduction of speciesism in UK national newspapers’, British Journal of Sociology, 61 (ny, 134-153. WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE VEGAN PRISONER SUPPORT GROUP (VPSG) Our Advocacy Officer, Rebecca Henderson, has worked with VPSG {0 produce a joint prison newsletter. Sent to prison caterers, the newsletter gives them recipe suggestions, updates them on developments and reminds them of the requirements of vegan catering and nutrition, Psa‘Sharon O'Driscoll of the House of Commons won Best Vegan Hot Main, “Smoked Corn & Polenta Pudding with 2 Watermelon Black Bean Curry Savoury Potato Asparagus, ‘Poloneise’ Edamame Creme, and Piquant Tomato Jam". Sharon's main course also won Best Entry in Live Competition and was awarded a Gold Medal for this dish Vegan Society Supporter Member Terry Woolcock took a | lead role in judging both classes. Full Salon results are now. | ‘on the organiser’s website at: http:/Avww.hotel- ‘expo.co.uk/salonCulinaire The Vegan Society also had a stall at the associated show. Information Offices, Charley Roberts and PR/Media Ofticer, ‘Amanda Baker, spake to dozens of chefs, small business ‘owners, hospitality lecturers and student caterers, and gave ‘out over 200 copies of our Vegan Catering for All booklet HOTEL AND CATERING SHOW maior tetas BOURNEMOUTH, 15-16 MARCH ‘The Vegan Society caused quite a stir at the Hotel and Catering Show 201 1, with our two sponsored classes in the Wessex Salon Culinaire Chefs competition. The Salon is billed as ‘the UK's biggest competition for young chefs". Our Vegan Cold Starter class attracted six competitors, and our Vegan Hot Main Course class was very well supported, with eight entrants. The winning Vegan Cold Starter, ‘Red Pepper, Lentil end Soya ‘Cheesecake with Alfalfa and Pea-shoot Salad and Melba Toast" was by Nicole Hamilton of West Thames College who was awarded Gold Medal for this dish. NATURAL ORGANIC PRODUCTS SHOW ‘OLYMPIA, LONDON 3-4 APRIL ‘The Vegan Society trademark logo is critical to funding the Society many activities as well as an important sign-post to, vegans and non-vegans catering to vegans. We work hard in the trademark department to expand the number of products you see on the shelves with our trusted logo on. Most recently George Gil (our Head of Business Development) and Daniel Therkelsen (Business Development Assistant) exhibited at the Natural and Organic Products Europe tradeshow in London Olympia on the third and fourth of April = two long, tring but very rewarding days, it was a | busting show with plenty of interest from companies not | Using our logo yet. It was also good to see so many | companies there who already use our trademark logo on | their products, representing the significant demand for vegan products. You can also help by e-mailing, writing or phoning your favourite company that doesn’t use our logo yet and ask them to start using it ~ this has led countless companies to apply for our trademark. The Vegan | Summer2011 3UK AWARE OLYMPIA, LONDON 25-26 MARCH Running over two days, UK Aware is the UKs largest exhibition on contemporary, sustainable living, The show attracts visitors from across the country all with a shared Interest in environmental issues, making it the perfect venue to talk to people about the environmental benefits of a vegan lifestyle. On the second day, our Chief Executive, Nigel Winter, participated in a successful panel debate entitled Beginners Guide to Greener Living. Attended by around 80 people, the debate encouraged numerous members of the audience to visit our stall for more information, a We received a great response from the visiting public, including non-vegans who wanted to find out more about veganism, vegetarians who were keen to make the next step and fellow vegans looking for iterature to distribute to non-vegan friends olsiel0 ey axel etsTo) S ASK GOOGLE TO DOODLE FOR WORLD VEGAN DAY Will you tell Google why you'd love a World Vegan Day Google Doodle? 2 World Vegan Day celebrates and proclaims all that is gre about veganism. It's an ideal ime to share the benefits of being vegan - for humans, for our health, and to tackle global hunger; for the planet, and against global climate ‘change; and of course, for other animals Now vegans everywhere are asking Google to recognize vegan histog, and mark the Fst of Novernber with 2 Goosle Doodle Google's famous ‘Doodles’ globally celebrate significant events such as New Years Bay and Jules Vene's birthday, 2s well as local special days. You can see examples of past Google Doodles here: httzAumw.google.convfogost ‘hy not tell Google why World Vegan Day is worth Goosle Doodle? Ema them on roporals@googie com - and plsse cony to Amanda: mecia€vegansocitycom at The ‘Vegan Society too. F 9f Wo, g a € ‘World Vegan Day has its own logo: Please email: media@vegansociety cam to request copies for promoting veganism. Let's spread the word, and help make World Vegan Day, Tuesday 1 November 2011 (1.11.11) the most talked-about ‘World Vegan Day yet! You can follow the World Vegan Day Google Doodle Ask on The Vegan Society Facebook page hitiptAwwmw facebook com/TheVeganSociely Snr Nea KC ey Seta ne euehe ais? Cette eon mite Corte rien (cre and run 3 times a year in London. ror ete ae Een eee Eee Pe CEZEe Lexy) DAO se eetfrom the CEO Nigel Winter | recently attended an interesting meeting with behaviour change psychologists. The results of fascinating human ‘experiments were explained showing how and why people change their behaviour. | am sure we could learn a lot from such experts when encouraging people to adopt a vegan lifestyle. We have also been consulting with branding companies to obtain advice on how our messages are perceived by non-vegans, The initial feedback was that much of our information was seen as negative and treated non-vegans as 'the enemy’. We are now working with an organisation to improve the way that we engage with non-vegans and hopefully encourage them to be more receptive to our message. Itis important that we carefully manage all the information we present about veganism so that it s clear, consistent and presented in a way that will engage nion-vegans. It is very easy to fall into the trap of writing material rom a vegan's perspective ‘and then find that non-vegans are not receptive. We also have to remember that different people process ideas in different ways ‘and so messages need to be tailored for different target budiences, [tis clear that achieving behaviour change is far more complex than presenting people with a logical argument and expecting them to acceptiit. You should start to see some changes in the way that we present information in the second half of this year but this will be an on-going process and we will continue to learn from the experts in this area Tell David Cameron to talk half as much rubbish Are you sick of waste, and having to throw stuff away that could be recycled or reused? We are. But we need your help to make sure the Government's Waste Review puts things right. Help sort it www.foe.co.uk/resources6 ‘As we start the year, planning is already well under way for World Vegan Day 2011 on the 15¢ of November. We are re-launching The Vegan Society Awards and will announce the results on World Vegan Day. There will be a number of awards across different categories. The award that relates to advocacy work is the Award for Best Care or Healthcare Catering. It willbe open to residential facilities such as care homes and hospitals, and also to services such as lunch clubs, day centres and home-delivered reals The Award wil help to increase awareness and knoweedge of, veganism within this sector and to raise standards. From our experience of working with prisons, we have seer? how effective awards can be. The VPSG/ Vegan Society Awards have really motivated prison caterers to improve their vegan, catering. An award makes an impressive addition to a chef's employment record and prison caterers have shown themselves eager to win our Awards. They became very competitive, striving to provide better vegan food and this has even lead to further accolades, such as winning the prestigious Butlers Tust Award, You can help in promoting the Award for Best Care or Healthcare Catering. By working together, we can secure the CUMOUS VEgela FEEDING MILLIONS The most curious thing about the yam is the ‘number of people across the world who depend on it for nourishment: an estimated 100 million people worldwide. The yam’s scientific name, Dioscorea, is a reminder of its medicinal importance. Named after the ancient Greek physician, Dioscorides, yams are used in the production of cortisone, contraceptive drugs and the treatment of health problems such as asthma, arthritis, and heart disease. “he Vecan | Sunmer 2011 Rebecca Henderson ‘engagement of this sector, simulate competitive spirit and improve standards. We need to be able to show those providers who ate not already catering for vegans what others have been able to achieve with the same resources. Only a relatively small number of older people live in care homes and, as you would expect, very few are vegan. However, even though only a small number of vegans live in care homes, itis important to raise standards in these facies, so that when a vegan is looking for residential care, there will be a suitable home in their area which can meet their needs, Hf you are a vegan living in a care home, or if you know someone who is, please contact us and also tell the homie about the award and the advantages that winning it could bring. Simitay if you are a vegan who uses a lunch club, day centre, hot meal delivery service, or any other form of care catering, then we would like you to tell us about it and to ‘mention the award to your meal provider Better vegan food will benefit those vegans who are already Using care or healthcare services. It also has the potential to benefit all of us, as at some point we all might need to access these services ourselves DSS Une) Vel Yams are starchy, they also contain a toxin, dioscorine, which is destroyed during cooking, However they do boast a high carbohydrate, protein, mineral and vitamin content, which is why they have become the staple food in several parts of the world In West Africa they are peeled, boiled and pounded into a Nutritious dough, foo foo; in the Philippines they are turned into candies and in Guyana they make beer or kala Bill Laws is the author of Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History (David & Charles),George Itis with sincere regret that | have to report that two of our trustees have left Council. Daniel Foskett has resigned as Assistant Treasurer and as a trustee in order to pursue his studies, in which | wish him well. Dr Matthew Cole has resigned as Vice- Chair of Council and as a trustee, but | ‘am glad to say that he is still processing the results of the recent members survey, which was carried out at his initiative. The response to the survey has been phenomenally successful at over 43%, much higher than normal for such a project, and will be of immense value to the Vegan Society in planning the way forward. There will be a report on the survey results in a future issue of The Vegan. Thanks to ‘everyone who took part, and thanks to Matthew for his contribution to Council and all his work on the survey, This means that Council is now down to seven trustees, out of a possible complement of twelve. We really need more! On page 21 of this issue you Cue Peace ona Ete se Need |! Vegetarian & Orgar House Hotel The Green Valley Cafe & Res oer Lake District 015394) Ritoarurart) ery etary Pees eeu iateest Serene vegan and gluten free, Fully BDAA certified from the chair of the council D Rodger will see details of how to stand for election to Council, also how to get ull details of what is required of ‘rustees, | also have to report that our Education Officer, Rob Jackson, has decided to ‘move on. Rob has been with us for four years, and has given sterling service, starting the education jab more fr less from scratch. As well as his rain post, Rob also took on adcitional responsibilities, gs First Aid Appointed Person and Health & Safety Employee Representative. Nigel and Roz are interviewing candidates for his successor as | write, and Rab is generously staying on part-time, to keep things ticking over, and to hand over to the new person. | shall be very somry to see Rob go, but | wish him well for his futur. Many charities are heavily dependent ‘0n Government contracts, grants, subsidies etc, and are at this time suffering badly from the effects of the cutbacks. We are not in that position = we are completely dependent on: membership subscriptions; sales of Publications and merchandise such as VEG 1; our highly successful trademark scheme; and donations and legacies. from members and well-wishers. {Fyou are a UK taxpayer, you can make a donation to the Society as "Gift Aid", and, as a Registered Charity, we can reclaim the tax you paid, increasing the value of your donation by about 28% at no cost to yourself. That is the ‘only money we ever get from the Government, and its not affected by Government cutbacks! When you are making your Will, please consider including a legacy to The Vegan Society; the office can advise you on how to go about it, ‘And, if you have already made ddonation(s) to the Society, or included Us in your Will, thank you from the bottom of my heart, and thanks from all trustees and members of staff George D Rodger Chair of Vagan Society Council om eto 35317 g.c0.uk Coastin 10 Bayle Flouse a fawnily rum wegan hotel y Vegan BB én the 66 CountrySe ere Jand pneumonia at the age of 11 months. Following a trial this year which attracted world-wide publicity, her parents were spared a long prison sentence by a judge who accepted that the loss of a much loved child plus the time spent in custody was already sufficient for them to bear. It was also made clear that the court was not judging the parents’ vegan lifestyle but the, extent to which their actions had contributed to the death of their child. Fed exclusively on her mother's milk, Louise was suffering from severe vitamin B12 deficiency and was seriously underweight for her age, though the crucial factor in the tragic ‘outcome was her parents’ rejection of their doctors advice. Impressvely, the new French Vegan Society fas used the ‘questions raised by the court case to educate vegans and non- vegans alike in a straightforward and nonjudgmental way, PBubliising books such as Sandra Hood's Feeding Your Vegan. Infant - with Confidence and Stephen Walsh’ Plant Based ‘Nutrition anc Health and promulgating in French the information that has been avaliable in English for decades about the importance of taking sufficient vitamin B12 in fortified foods or proven bioavailable supplements and other important nutrition ‘and health information, Until every vegan is aware of the facts sel out by The Vegan Society and endorsed ty health professionals around the world as long ago as 2001 (wwrweveganhealth.orq/artcies/everyvegan) - and by istinguished haematologist and Vegan Society President Dr Frey Blis 30 years earlier trageies such as that of baby Louise wil continue to happen, blighting the lives of innocent people as well as the reputation of veganism worldwide. (On a happier note, preparations are already in train for a two- day Paris vegan festival on 1st and 2nd October and a cookery contest to be judged by an intermational panel of chefs. Street stalls giving away free samples of vegan brioche and other treats, along with the French version of our Plant Based Nutrition ‘booklet ate proving highly successful in countering any idea that veganism involves self-sacrifice and deprivation in a country where the concept of haute cuisine is atleast as important as any other art or science, Spending time with the movers and shakers of the vegan movement in Paris has been punctuated by visits to non-vegan households deep in the French countryside where people have amazed me not just by producing delicious vegan meals to share while I'm there but even deciding to adopt a plant-based diet themsehes at least fora couple of days a week. ‘Meanwhile, the International Vegan Festival in Spain has attracted participants from as far afield as Finland and Australia, Indonesia and Brazil, with late registrations possible up to May Bist. Despite the current parlous state of the pound against the Euro, a relatively affordable dally rate covers accommodation in the seafront festival hatel and three copious vegan meals a day, plus talks, workshops, cookery demonstrations, local excursions and a variety of evening entertainments, Daily themes include veganism and the environment, international activism, animal ‘protection, nutrition and fitness, education and the law, and so.on. Theegan | Simmer 2011 There is also a sttong emphasis on friendship and fun with plenty cf opportunities for socialising, lazing on the beach and exploring local places of interest with lkeminded people from all over the world, Fares from the UK should be fei reasonable if you shop around, See www.ivu.orgiveganfest/2011 for registration form and further details or contact Francisco Martin fmartinave@gmeil com Copies of the Spanish (Castiian) version of the Vegan Society's ‘utrition bookiet will be available at the festival and there is a Catalan translation in the pipeline, while Making the Connection ‘now boasts both Spanish and South American Spanish subtites. Inaddition to the existing wide variety of languages, bath the booklet and the subtities have recently been translated into Romanian and a Croatian version of the booklet is almost ready for printing ~ the designed version should be ready for final checking when their Chief Executive comes to England at the end of Apri The vegan pledge and accompanying mentoring system also continue to grow, expanded by vegan societies around the world through the Internet and social networking sites far beyond anything the late great Nell Lea could have imagined when he set up his original Vegan Buddies scheme With good wishes to all for an enjoyable and productive summer. Vanessa Clarke 17 Kingston Street Cambridge C81 2NU Tel, +46 (09207 928 7459 vanessaclarkel @gmail com FEEDING YOUR VEGAN INFANT = WITH CONFIDENCE Sandra Hood (€9.99) ‘An essential guide for parents and health professionals on nutrition for vegan infants, Feeding your vegan infant - with confidence provides reassuring quidelines on creating a well-balanced diet, covering ftom pre-conceptual nutrition for both men and ‘women thraugh to childrens pre-school years “The many areas covered include simple food guides, problem solving, menu ideas and recipes. Also includes vegan parents” real fe experiences in bringing up their children.- World Vegan Month 2014 Don't forget to plan how you will ry to get larger events covered by your local newspaper, radio, magazines and even TV. Not only can you attract more visitors, but hundreds of other people will learn about veganism from hearing about your event in the local news Friendly faces, delicious cakes, inspiring ‘workshops, and a fantastic cornucopia of vegan products ~ ‘these are just some of the joys of Tee See if you can find a local photography enthusiast - some ‘eye-catching pictures of your successful World Vegan Day event will be valuable for vegan outreach later on. Submit ther to ‘Amanda: medis@vegansociety.com to be considered for these pages too! Would you like to see a vegan fair near where you live this November? Would you like to go along with family or fjends to org show how great itis to be vegan? Remember: The Vegan magazine copy deadline is Thursday 30 June 2011 — no WYN event listings can be considered for The Vegan after that date. 2 Could you help turn your local vegan iia crenata) World Vegan Day 2011 is Tuesday 1 Novernber, launching the Hid as ac ‘World Vegan Month of November. Please get in touch with your eg pa em cece emcee Coico Gust tN zs a mA Bs = help in your area. British Isles listings are at the back of this and gan group needs your support ~ please track them down ‘every issue of The Vegan, and see our Web site a and offer litle help! ny Bo he og our Web ste vegensocetycom SE TRURO FREE VEGAN FOOD OAY “The frst ever free vegan food fair in Truro was such a success that it | definitely won't be the last one. Organised by Tamar Valley Vegans, Truro Vegans and Cornwall Animal Action, the fair gathered local caterers to | share free samples of tasty varied vegan food ‘round 500 visitors from a wide age range came on the day including the Iocal folk band 3 Daft Monkees. The West Briton’ local newspaper | reported how the food ran out and had to be repienshed from nearby | Shoos! The samples supplied by mainstream’ shops provided a good answer to that petenrial worry, "| would go vegan, but isn't dificult to ‘get fo0d whist you'te out?” 1 Te rar ale and the Tro Vegans fous fan srl nferatin | ee deteied tna Veg Conval book. Thsis stor gid 0 Fearne er of eateg and mae forvegasin Comal nds | ‘also available online: http//vegancornwall wordpress, com/ and in Cornish 1 | health food shops. | ‘Would you like to see a local “Vegan Guide’ for where you live? Could you help get one produced? Why not contact the Cornish vegans for advice? You can get in touch with Vega? SoCo Local Hae tie and Chris of Tamar Valley Vegans on westaway.westaway@googlemailcom and 01822 833745. You can get touch wut Vegan Society Local Contact Nel of Truro Vegans on cornwallcats@hatmail.co.uk and 07759 185541 rae The vegan Summerz0r146 od a &< dudsedlSS r v add 5e5U% ‘S FAMILIES WITH YOUNG VEGANS This is a new regular feature for the families of younger vegans. Please send in your eye-catching photos and inspiring stories! ‘The Vegan Society are in touch with groups across the UK - including Brighton, London, Leicester, York, and cline. Heather Shepherd, who runs VegParentsUK http/aroups yahoo com/aroupNegParentsUk has kindly taken over the lst of families with young vegans which The Vegan Socety used to maintain, Please contact Heather on veggieshepherd@virginmedia com or 01942 790235 with information about your group for families ‘with young vegans. ‘Ann-Marie Harrigan reports that, in March, the Leicester group made the simple, ‘yummy’ raspberry buns from Well Fed-Not An Animal Dead (by Graham Burnett The youngsters that day ranged from 8 years to 9 months in age, and not all are vegan (or vegetarian!) yet. They also made badges, and decorated butterfly Cutouts, Each month, the Leicester group meet aa local primary school on tivo Saturdays, and spend a Sunday out and about. For Easter, they are having @ teddy bear (not egg!) hunt for the youngest children, planting session for the older ones and a picnic for everyone. Ann-Marie is hoping to start a “vegan ‘zine with the teenagers, too. ‘Anna Grey says that the York group meets up every first Sunday of the month for a shered lunch. Families take itin turns to host, and visitors bring food — a vegan main course and either a vegan side dish, salad or pudding, Six families with children ranging from 9 months to 11 years old are currently joining in. The food is fantastically varied ~ sushi, chal, ‘sausage’ & tomato tat, stew & dumplings, paviova, doughnuts, cheesecakes .. For Halloween, the children wore fancy dress and enjoyed ‘bat’ cookies and “dead mans finger” sandwiches, they've also had a picnic in the local Rowntree Park. Anna tells us that the children. have all become good friends. She finds the group invaluable for the support and help she needs as a vegan parent ‘Would you like to be part of a group lke this? Please contact Heather for ideas on geting one started London School of Economics Ben Williamson of London School of Economics (LSE) Siucent Union Veg*n Society got in touch with The Vegan Society offices before Christmas to request @ batch of our free colour leaflets. In January, LSE Veg*ns ran 2 successful information stall, Lots of people came over to chat, to ‘ake literature and to sign up for the club. Ben was particularly interested in the different reasons which people have for being vea'n. Alcohol is 2 contentious issue for students, and so is how to eat well ona tight budget. SE Veg? ns are working with their Catering Services to improve veg*n options. They surveyed around 10,000 LSE students and staff about ‘food choices’ (with 2.4% response rate), Over half of the non-vegerarians who took the survey, sad they would Be likely to vst the LSE ‘eanteen during a specifically ‘meat-free" day. Nearly a fifth of respondents declared themselves to be vegetarian. Ben feels this is consistent with other reports and the international demography of LSE, Eleven vegans replied. LSE Vearns are meeting LSE Catering Services User Group in Mey. Using our Vegan Catering for All booklet as wel 1a their sutvey results, they hope to get improved vegan ‘options on the LSE menus, Don't forget The Vegan Society Awards 2011 category Best Vegan Catering in Education. Schools, universities, colleges and youth clubs areal eligible, Would you lke 00d vegen options on your canteen menu? Would you Tike your canteen to be good enough to win an Award from The Vegan Society? Could you get the ball roling using our Vegan Catering for All fullcolour guide for caterers? Please get in touch: info@vegensociety.com to get your copy and get started!