Vegan campaigners take to town centre with new year crusade

A stall full of “accidentally vegan” snacks, such as Oreos and party rings, home-made goodies, nut milks and helpful leaflets about veganism were available for those curious about adopting a more ethical and environmentally friendly diet as their new year’s resolution.

There was also a Cube of Truth, a silent animal rights demonstration, where a couple of members of Anonymous for the Voiceless wore Guy Fawkes’ masks and held televisions playing continuous footage of graphic factory farming practices.

This outreach event coincided with the national “Veganuary” (vegan/January) campaign, which encourages people to forego meat, fish, dairy, eggs and honey for 31 days, beginning in the month commonly associated with resolution and change.

It not only promotes the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products in their diet and lifestyles, but also argues that a balanced vegan diet comes hand in hand with a whole host of health benefits – a perfect pitch for those looking to shed a few pounds gained over the festive season.

People choose to go vegan for a variety of reasons including animal rights, health and the environment.

Jacqui Taylor, from Wigan, manned the food stall. Asked if she has ever come across someone who has gone vegan as a direct result from an event like this she said: “Veganism is gaining more popularity, it’s getting easier. Just showing you’re not the odd one out, there are lots of people going vegan.

“We’re not just hippies or weirdos, there’s loads of different kinds of people. Some people like the Cube for the shock factor, but this [the food stall] is the more practical side of veganism.”

Animal rights activists attending the event took different approaches in raising people’s awareness of animal cruelty.

Cat Race, from Preston, said: “You’ve got the Cube over there, the hard-hitting bit where you’ve got the graphic footage, and then you’ve got this over here with the food.

“That’s the bad stuff and here’s what we can do about it.

“The idea of the event is to raise people’s awareness and give them alternatives and try and increase people buying vegan food.”

Jan Alston, from Preston, has been vegan for seven years and vegetarian for 31 years. I asked her what she thought about vegan protests in places such as restaurants and butchers.

“I know how they feel, it is frustrating, and you do want to do something about it.

“I don’t think protesters should go inside. All it does is annoys people who then start vegan bashing. We get a bad name then. I think this outreach is the way forward, not protests.”

One might argue that it was not the food samples nor the video footage that most attracted the shoppers’ interest – it was Daisy.

Wendy Park, a member of Team Tino Animal Rights, helped to introduce the giant inflatable cow to Wigan.

“We have borrowed a cow that we’ve called Daisy. We’re getting a few more at the end of the month to do a big march in Liverpool.

“It attracts people. Little children come along and hopefully they can make the connection. Children are empathetic to animals and then lose it. We plant the seeds [veganism] in the children early on.”

Whether it’s for animal welfare, for health or for the environment, there is no denying that veganism is on the increase and, for many, the Veganuary challenge is a helpful stepping stone.

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