Haus of FGV

TeenVGN

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This is the world’s fastest blog post.

I am having dinner with Laura and Kylie of TeenVGN at Cafe Kino in Bristol.

Do you know about TeenVGN?

I’m going to ask them to dictate to me right now, telling me about their group. I’m going to type as they speak. Live blogging!

Laura is talking now:

TeenVGN is the social network for young vegetarians and vegans, supporting them as they generate creative ideas for a compassionate future.

You can follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook and visit their website.

TeenVGN not only beat me to the best blog award at the VegfestUK awards this year, they are also hosting an incredible summer camp and you can register your interest here.

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Laura & Kylie of TeenVGN

 

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FGV is judgemental

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I know I’m not a celebrity, but it is still fun to be called one as part of this event taking place at VegfestUK Brighton on March 28th & 29th, 2015.

One component of the jumbo two-day long event is the New Product Showcase, where suppliers can enter their products into the competition.

Here is the lowdown from VegfestUK organisers:

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Mainstreaming

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I do not make a habit of reading (meaning I never read) mainstream newspapers, but I was very excited to get this photo via email this morning.

The Daily Mirror featured a double-page spread exposing the horrific torture of ducks on a foie gras ‘farm’ that was supplying the restaurant of a celebrity chef.

I am thankful to the hardworking people responsible for the undercover work leading to exposés such as this one. Animals all over the world are being routinely degraded, force fed, tortured, abused and killed for ridiculous food products. Stories such as this in the mainstream press are crucial in changing public opinion on animal welfare.

Thank you to the individuals and organisation behind this story. Here is the online version if you feel compelled to share.

Please support activist and education groups working to improve outcomes for non-human animals.

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Animals are dying

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A fun night out in a Parisian gay bar yesterday turned into an important and stark reminder about what goes on behind the doors of laboratories all over the world.

Sounds like a bit of a bizarre link, right?

Warning: this blog post does not contain graphic images but the content may still upset some people.

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Vegan having a moan

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My pal Joe in Berlin wanted a platform to complain about something.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to give you all a break from my self-righteous posturing, so below you will find the unabridged moan by Joe about the phenomenon of vegan restaurants not opening when they are supposed to open.

I can’t say it happens all that often in the UK, but Joe deserves to be heard!

Read on.

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Operation go vegan stay vegan

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A post this week in which I voiced my concern about vegan people opening non-vegan cafes has garnered a lot of attention. The comment thread on Facebook has a life of its own and I think it is evident that this discussion is happening at exactly the right time.

One of the commentators suggested it would be beneficial for me to organise a platform to assist people looking to change their businesses into a completely vegan affair.

OK. I think I can offer some assistance. I don’t have a lot of time but I do take it on board that actions speak louder than words and I genuinely want to help people (and businesses) to go vegan and stay vegan.

What can I do?

I want to hear from people thinking of changing a non-vegan food business into a vegan food business. Once we have made contact, I can offer the following if you want it:

  • email conversation about your business and a vegan transition
  • you can phone/Skype me to talk about the situation
  • if you pay for my travel (I will travel by the cheapest means if necessary) I will spend a day with you and/or your employees talking about a vegan change, discussing vegan alternatives to dairy and working out a strategy and I will not charge for my time
  • I will supply you with testimonials by other business owners who have made the transition in unlikely locations
  • I will supply you with practical advice on sourcing vegan ingredients to replace dairy
  • I will help you write a press release about your relaunch and get it to as many press outlets as possible, as well as local, national and international activist groups, bloggers and social groups
  • I will make myself available via phone and email to discuss publicity questions in the month following your transition
  • I will feature your business on my blog and link to you on social media around the time of your transition to a vegan business

Just because I love to be dramatic, I am calling this the Operation Go Vegan Stay Vegan initiative. It is kind of like a vegan challenge, but for businesses.

Why am I doing this? The main reason is I am working to improve outcomes for non-human animals. Another reason is I wholeheartedly believe now is the right time for vegan business owners to take this step.

As I have mentioned on Facebook, there are 100% vegan cafes in regional Mexico, the West Midlands, Prague, rural USA and even an almost three hour drive into the countryside from my home town of Brisbane, Australia. They are popping up in the most unlikely places and they can succeed!

If you do vegan food and drink well, people will pay for it. Not just vegans, but people in general.

Please get in touch if you think you would like to make your business part of this vegan transition initiative. I am not the most knowledgable person but I am confident I can bring useful ideas together that will help you make this change to your business in the most positive way possible.

If you would like to offer a case study of your own vegan business (especially if you changed it to vegan from non-vegan), please get in touch via sean@fgvpr.co.uk – I will need all the vegan community firepower and ideas I can get.

Please note: I will have to exercise discretion in regards to who I assist and this might be based on my own workload or a host of other reasons. I envision being able to work with one business during a calendar month period. I am predominantly looking to assist UK businesses but will consider offering advice and time to people in other parts of the world but I will not have the same insights to offer.

No sir, I don’t like it

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Growing up in Australia, I was socialised into believing acts of animal exploitation were normal and a reason to celebrate. Some of my earliest memories are of animals being tortured for sport or food.

I was only a few years old as I stood in my aunty’s suburban kitchen and watched as live crabs were lowered into boiling water. My childhood memories are filled with fishing trips with my father who would press live worms onto the barbs of hooks as a tool to snare fish. Many of these fish were considered too small to warrant taking home, so were returned to the ocean with severe cuts and gashes in their mouths. Bigger sea creatures were left to experience excruciating deaths in the open air before being taken to a kitchen to serve as a meal.

My uncle kept racing dogs. Another uncle used a pump to suck living prawn-like animals from their sand homes. I have relatives who worked themselves into a near-religious frenzy when betting on animal sports. I was taken to a circus by my mother and aunty, where I was encouraged to ride a donkey. The poor creature trembled under my 9 year old weight, as my lanky legs dragged on the ground. Tears come to my eyes as I type these recollections. I feel shame and sorrow.

As a young person with world views still in development, I had no compassionate voices shaping my outlook. I was being conditioned to see animals as an unquestionable source of food, entertainment, clothing and sport.

A particularly perverse example took place in a classroom.

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The Sunshine Sessions

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UPDATE:

This event has been cancelled due to one of the organisers being seriously injured in an accident.

My thoughts are with them and I hope for the best.

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Do you like to be inspired? Are you interested in meeting like-minded compassionate people and hearing what inspires them? Would informative presentations followed by a late night party be to your liking?

If the answer is yes, The Sunshine Sessions might be just what you need.

I am thrilled to be invited to speak at the inaugural outing of The Sunshine Sessions. This celebration of positive-thinking and ethical, self-directed people looks set to be a fascinating event.

A range of speakers from a variety of backgrounds and interests including education, personal wellbeing and veganism will deliver passionate talks to a roomful of guests, who will then party the night away after being fed delicious vegan food.

I love the idea of this event. One of the reasons I agreed to take part in The Sunshine Sessions was the inclusive nature of the event and the thoughtful range of speakers. This isn’t a collection of people telling you what you are doing wrong, rather a collection of presenters giving you an insight into the choices that work for them across the professional and personal realms of their lives.

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The event will be taking place in Central London at an as-yet-undisclosed location on Friday November 28th, 2014.

An initial information page for The Sunshine Sessions has been launched allowing potential attendees to register their interest. This is where you enter your details to receive information relating to ticket availability and speaker details. Click here to visit now.

I’m looking forward to this event and it would be wonderful to see a lot of vegans in the audience. Keep checking back for more updates.

Follow The Sunshine Sessions on Instagram

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Fry’s goodbye

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It is time to say goodbye to a family who have single-handedly revolutionised the UK vegan scene.

Patrick and Lisa Drummy have been at the forefront of getting meat replacements to hungry people for well over a decade. From humble beginnings with an often broken-down van, Pat launched a distribution company to spread the Fry’s Vegetarian range of vegan products all over the UK.

Due to Pat’s hard work and commitment to compassion, the South African produced products quickly became a staple freezer item for many veggie households. Pat poured his entire life (and livelihood) into the business and his dedication helped countless people make the transition to a meat free life.

Pat’s daughter Lisa joined him not long after this runaway success, making Fry’s UK a true family concern. Between them, they positioned the products in some of the biggest retailers in the country including Holland & Barrett and Ocado. They infiltrated huge catering distributors helping to get vegan food served in hospitals, schools, prisons and pubs all over the UK.

Lisa and Pat are two of the most respected people in the vegan community.

Year after year they tirelessly threw themselves into making Fry’s one of the leading vegan meat brands in Europe. I’m sure they couldn’t recall how many early starts there were or how many thousands of hours were spent spreading the vegan message throughout the country.

They have been friends to so many charities and outreach groups. Pat generously sponsored several of my events such as my Sea Shepherd fundraisers and the London Vegan Beer Fest. Dozens or maybe even hundreds of local animal welfare groups came to love Pat and Lisa for their generosity and honest desire to make the world a better place.

As Pat and Lisa step away from the business and hand the UK distribution back to the parent company, it is evident that our community is losing two of its staunchest supporters.

Pat and Lisa asked me to share the following statement with all of their friends and customers:

After 13 successful years of increasing choice for ethical consumers by introducing vegan foods to the UK market, we have lived to see Fry’s being stocked by health food shops, Holland & Barrett, Ocado and 3663. We’ve worked hard, met some truly great people and had a lot of fun along the way, but sadly, the team behind Fry’s Distribution UK is closing its doors on 31st October as it’s time for us to retire. Pat and Lisa would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, your hard work, your business and, most importantly, your friendship.

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I can’t express what these people have done for vegans and animals in the UK.

Please leave a comment for Pat and Lisa below.