The huge Bowl for Oceans fundraiser party that took place in Central London last weekend was the result of a lot of planning, a lot of support and some very special people/businesses coming together in the name of helping sea life.
On top of the good times involving bowling, karaoke and music, we ended up selling enough tickets to make a wonderful £800 donation to Sea Shepherd UK. In addition, we collected a lot of cash and coins on the day in the Sea Shepherd bucket and the charity sold a walloping amount of their own merchandise.
Before I share some photos from the day, I would like to take a moment to thank the following people who made the event the huge success it was. It would be very thoughtful if you could take a minute out of your day to thank them on Twitter for their support.
As you all know, there is a glorious vegan food destination located down in Brixton that has been keeping me well fed for over a year and a half. The Ms. Cupcake bakery is a world-class cupcake specialist that also supplies hungry people like me with chocolate, cookies, snacks and vegan ice cream.
If you haven’t managed to get down there yet, this piece of news I’m about to share with you will seal the deal. If you are already a regular, you might just want to prepare to do your happy dance for what is in store.
To start with, there is the amazing Ms. Cupcake vegan bakery with their huge range of cakes, savouries and packaged treats. You probably are also aware of the gorgeous vegan pizza options available from Franco Manca. I’ve even heard whispers of a new French vegetarian restaurant with vegan options.
Yes, Brixton is a fun place for vegans to go hunting for snacks and it just got a lot more exciting with the arrival of vegan cake stall The Vegan Tart.
I get a lot of stick for giving bad reviews to restaurants. Some people are of the mind that it is detrimental to veganism to publish negative reviews of vegetarian establishments that serve sub-standard vegan food. Maybe they think a cafe deserves credit for just trying to include us. That attitude doesn’t fly with me.
Why shouldn’t we expect the best when paying for vegan goods and services? Why shouldn’t we speak up when we think what we received was less than the best?
Restaurants and cafes deserve to know and I have the right to voice my opinion in any way I see fit. And when a veggie restaurant serves me delicious and well-made vegan food, I’m the first one to get the news out. I don’t complain for the sake of complaining.
All I do is tell it like it is and the way it is in Leeds at the moment is very promising indeed! A new vegetarian cafe has popped up in this Northern city and their commitment to vegan options could teach many vegetarian eateries more than a thing or two.
Bowl For Oceans is turning into what will surely be an amazing event. We have vegan snacks to feed attendees. We have three very different DJs to supply us with an eclectic mix of tunes. We have karaoke. We have ten pin bowling. We even have pool tables.
But one thing we won’t have with us on the day is all of you.
Distance gets in the way of a lot of celebrations and Bowl For Oceans is no exception. That noted, a lot of you have reached out to say even though you can’t be physically with us on the day, you would still like to make a contribution to the fundraising efforts.
In order for friends to make a financial contribution even if they are not in London on the day, we have created a special non-attendee donation ticket. For just half the price of a full ticket, you can help us in our campaign to raise money and awareness for the UK arm of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Your ongoing support and dedication to helping animals is what makes events like Bowl For Oceans possible. Please spread the word across all of your networks and help us make the biggest donation to Sea Shepherd that we possibly can.
Businesses come and go quickly and sadly vegan businesses can be the swiftest departures of them all. It is extremely difficult to stay afloat at the best of times and even harder when you are part of a ‘niche’ market.
I am sad to hear of the closure of a gorgeous vegan cafe in Barcelona called Vegan Bakery. I had only just visiteda few months ago and now it appears to be no more. I’m not on the ground in that town to do my usual snooping, but I have seen whispers on the Internet that the close is temporary until a new location is found.
I would love to hear from anyone involved in the cafe or anyone with information on their future. It won’t be too long before I’m heading back that way and I would really love to support their endeavours.
Until then, take a sneak peak of what I enjoyed during my recent visit to Vegan Bakery.
I was starting to think I couldn’t be more excited about the upcoming Bowl For Oceans fundraising party for Sea Shepherd UK, but then this happened…
There are companies that make nice food, there are companies that do good things for others and there are companies that are run by lovely people. Razzle Dazzle Ices somehow manage the rare trifecta of possessing all of these traits.
Razzle Dazzle is a family-owned and operated company from Taunton, Somerset. As stated on their website, their drive to create a tasty dairy-free ice cream came from wanting their son (who can’t eat cow milk) to be included in treat time. But after setting out to perfect their recipes in their own home for their own enjoyment, Razzle Dazzle then put their efforts into spreading the vegan ice cream love far and wide across the land.
The Razzle Dazzle Ices range includes such tantalising flavours as Mango Sorbet, Coconilla and Hintamint. Check out where all five of their fun flavours are available right now! They even sell to stores, cafes and restaurants, just in case you are a business owner and want to impress your customers.
Razzle Dazzle tubs
But what was this blog post supposed to be about? Oh, that’s right! Razzle Dazzle Ices are coming to Bowl For Oceans!
January 6, 2013 is the date where compassionate party goers are in for a big treat. Not only does their ticket purchase get them bowling, karaoke, music, pool tables and crisps by Barrow Boys, it now also gives them a chance to sample Razzle Dazzle Ices for free.
The company will be on hand to dish out their tasty wares to attendees and talk about how they create such delicious, cruelty-free delights.
If you have already purchased your tickets for this mammoth event, congratulations are in order because you are in for one fun day out in London. If you are yet to snap up your entry, act fast to ensure you are part of what is surely going to be one of the most-talked about events of Winter.
By now you are well aware of the giant fundraiser party called Bowl For Oceanstaking place on Sunday January 6, 2013 from midday until 5pm. I don’t need to tell you that we will be raising money for Sea Shepherd UK while bowling, listening to awesome DJs, performing karaoke and playing pool in a Central London location. You know all of this!
And you also know the party is being sponsored by Fry’s UK and Barrow Boys Crisps. Your knowledge also extends to being aware of the Facebook event page where you have RSVPd and invited all your friends. I won’t waste your time by telling you this again.
The only bit of info relating to the party that I’m not convinced you know is where to buy tickets. So here we go:
I think we have covered all you need to know. If I have missed anything out, fill me in. Otherwise, I will see you at Bowl For Oceans. I will be the one NOT singing karaoke!
The weather in London at the moment is not suited to dining by the river. Winds are getting chilly as temperatures sink. We were even gifted with an ever so light dusting of snow a few days ago.
Being forced indoors has prompted me to recall my last meal by the Thames prior to the sad weather descending on the capital. Even more depressingly, the meal was just as dull as the current weather situation.
As a sugar-loving vegan, certain times of the year are tougher than others.
My recent trips to grocery stores and supermarkets have been met by a familiar sight for this time of year. Christmas shopping frenzy means I am confronted by countless varieties of boxed chocolates, truffles and candy. This onslaught of boxed confection also sweeps through my life around Valentine’s Day, mothers day and an increasing number of commercialised celebrations.
As a fat, gay vegan all I wanna do is drop a few of these boxes into my basket as I waddle to the checkout. Until a few days ago, this was but a dream.
