Veggies of Nottingham facts for kids
Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a group and company in Nottingham, England. They work to offer food choices that are good for people, animals, and the planet, instead of typical fast food. They do this in several ways:
- They organize events like the yearly East Midlands Vegan Festival.
- They create books and leaflets to share information.
- They run a big website with a directory of groups that have similar goals.
Veggies is a non-profit worker co-operative. This means it's owned and run by its workers, and it doesn't aim to make a profit for owners. Instead, any money earned goes back into the group's work. They offer tasty, healthy, and affordable vegan food at many events and protests. They try to use ingredients that are fair trade (meaning farmers get a fair price), organic (grown without harmful chemicals), or locally sourced (from nearby farms). They also try to use very little packaging to help the environment.
How Veggies Started
Veggies was created in 1984 by seven people who cared a lot about animal rights. These activists felt there weren't enough good vegetarian fast food options back then.
They began by selling veggieburgers from a mobile stall. Later, they also offered local pasties, cakes, and other foods and drinks. Since then, Veggies has served snacks and full meals to thousands of people. They have been at peace movement marches, animal rights demonstrations, music festivals, protest camps, and events focused on taking back public spaces for people.
From 1985, Veggies was based at the Rainbow Centre in Nottingham. They eventually took over running the centre. In 2001, the centre moved to the Forest Fields area of the city and was renamed the Sumac Centre. This centre became part of a bigger network of social centres across the UK.
Projects and Campaigns
Over the years, Veggies members and volunteers have started or supported many other projects. Some of these include:
- Samosas for Social Change: This project helped charities like Vegfam and Food Not Bombs, which provided aid after Hurricane Katrina.
- The Vegan Business Connection: A network for vegan businesses.
- Screaming Carrot: An all-vegan bakery.
- Other vegan catering projects in different towns.
Veggies is known for its "vast and extensive internet capability." They use the internet to connect with others and share information about important topics. These include human rights, animal rights, environmental protection, working against war (anti-militarism), and social justice.
Veggies is dedicated to helping groups that campaign for change. They have connections with big organizations like Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth. However, they are also very involved in local, everyday (grassroots) campaigning, rather than just relying on large national groups.
From 1987 to 1996, and even now, Veggies has been closely involved with the McLibel Campaign and London Greenpeace. They continue to help organize days of action and share materials for these campaigns.
Veggies also prints and shares publications from the Movement for Compassionate Living, which promotes simple living. They also act as local contacts for groups like Animal Aid, the Vegan Society, the Vegetarian Society, and Viva!.
Images for kids
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Veggies of Nottingham at the Glastonbury Festival in 2019.
