Redditch Free Veggie Food Fair report
On Saturday 8th October 2005, Redditch tasted it`s first ever veggie food extravaganza, and it turned out to be a bigger success than we could ever have imagined!! Crowds of people flocked into St Stephens Church to sample the delicious delights of a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, for FREE.
People started to flood through the doors well before the event had officially opened. We planned to open at 10.30am, but by this time the hall was already crowded, and dozens of people were tucking in to our free healthy feast!! St Stephens Church hall was packed out from start to finish, food was disappearing off the tables faster than we could replace it!! We estimate that throughout the day, around 500 people attended the event!
There was a vast array of food on offer including burgers, samosas, sausage rolls, mexican tortilla, quiche, falafel, curry, vegan cheese/sausages on cocktail sticks and a range of irresistible cakes. Several well known producers of veggie/vegan food, donated huge quantities of their products - including 36 tubs of dairy-free ice cream! The event couldn`t have taken place without these companies generosity Redwoods Wholefoods, Granovita, Fayrefield, Alpro and Beanies Health Foods
Our free recipes, veggie magazines, nutrition factsheets and leaflets(detailing the many reasons why we promote the veggie/vegan lifestyles), were also flying off the tables quicker than we could replenish them. Our stocks of some literature had totally run dry before the end of the fair!
Food tasters were encouraged to fill in a short questionnaire about the event, and over 90 were completed. Dozens of people who attended as meat eaters, have pledged to change their diet after tasting the delights of veggie food. 30 people have said they want to join RVV, for socialising, meals out and to help promote the vegetarian & vegan diets via more food fairs, information stalls etc.
Our team of volunteers worked flat out throughout the event. We had no time to tuck in ourselves thanks to the constant stream of people flooding through the door.
As well as the food and literature tables, we also had an impressive display of veggie/vegan food(still in it`s packaging), bought from local supermarkets. This was great at showing people how easy it is to come by vegan food, without travelling far, or visiting specialist health food shops. It also made people aware that many of the products they already buy, are actually vegan!
There were also 5 stalls selling a wide range of ethical, cruelty-free products including chocolate, badges, books, stationery, nutrition wallcharts, clothing, vegan cosmetics/toiletries and lots more. Groups that held stalls included Viva!, Realfood, Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research and Redditch Friends of the Earth
We simply couldn`t have hoped for a better event to launch Redditch Vegetarians and Vegans. Many thanks to our team of dedicated volunteers who slaved all day(and some for weeks beforehand) to provide delicious veggie food for the masses! And thanks to the companies listed above, for their generous donations of veggie food. Thanks also to St Stephens Church for letting us use their excellent central venue, and finally, thanks to everyone who attended. We are determined to hold these fairs as often as possible, so keep an eye on this website for details of future events.
Click here to read a report about how we organised and publicised the food fair, and don`t forget to visit our gallery where you`ll find loads more great photos from this event.
Redditch Vegetarians & Vegans
reddiveggie@lycos.com
www.redditchveggies.makessense.co.uk