Green Meadow Animal Sanctuary has been taking in sick and rescued animals since 1991 and is home to in excess of 100 sheep and various other animals such as goats, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, horses, rabbits, cats, etc.

The sanctuary is entirely reliant on volunteers and donations to look after all the rescued and sick animals in their care and now urgently needs your help.

All the animals will live out the rest of their natural lives here, as we operate a strict no-breed and no-kill policy.

Once the animals are here they can roam the 37 acres of land to their hearts content and desire and come in for shelter whenever they want to, into our purpose built accommodation.

We need to stress to people that the situation is now urgent and all animals face slaughter if land has to be sold off. Funds have run out, and with running costs of £2500 per month, things are looking grim if we can’t get money coming in.

Donate with PayPal or credit/debit cards via http://www.greenmeadow.org.uk/

Or post your donation to:

Green Meadow Animal Sanctuary
Quarry Farm
Great Moor
Pattingham
Near Wolverhampton
WV6 7AT

Tel: 01902 701743

Pogo aims to encourage veganism and animal liberation by providing delicious, affordable food and useful information to the local community and beyond. They host regular film nights, plus one-off gourmet dinners, raw food parties, poetry nights etc…

Like Veggies and Sumac, they are always looking for new volunteers.

If you would like to get involved in this exciting, unique café please get in touch.

You may not have visited Pogo yet, but they are in the middle of a crisis. There is a shortage of people to take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the cafe, coupled with a gaping hole in the finances, threatening to force Pogo to close once and for all.

Now, more than ever, Pogo needs you!

• Please tell your friends in London
• Send this message out on your email lists or social networks
• Donate a pound or two via their website
  If you can’t get to Hackney, you could donate the price of a coffee!
• Retweet the following message from twitter.com/veggiesnottm:

“Pogo Café is an autonomous 100% vegan space run completely by volunteers in Hackney. They need your help & support. http://vegs.us/savepogo“.

Help save Pogo – get involved!

Pogo Cafe is on Veggies Directory:

http://www.veggies.org.uk/directory/detail-129-.htm

If you really care about animals, the best way you can help is to stop eating them!

Each year in the UK alone approximately 1,000 million animals are farmed and killed for food – and that figure doesn’t include fish.

The average meat-eater consumes around 11,000 animals in their lifetime (including fish and shellfish). Think of all the lives YOU will save simply by turning vegetarian or vegan!

As well as being more humane, an animal-free diet is healthy, environmentally friendly and a better way to use the world’s precious resources.

There are many reasons to go veggie including animal welfare, health, environmental protection and cost. If you are concerned about one or more of these issues, why not take the opportunity to try some more meat-free meals during March or take the veggie challenge?

Visit the Veggie Month Website for

• Free Go Veggie Guide
• Why Go Veggie primer
• Veggie Videos
• Resources
• Recipes
• Veggie Events
• Youth art and poetry competition

All this and more at http://www.veggiemonth.com/

See also Animal Aid press release Should we be eating dogs in Britain?

Vegan Outreach Diary

A selection of events taking place during Veggie Month may be found on Veggies Vegan Outreach Diary.

Veggies Directory

Many Animal Aid groups and veggie campaigners all across the UK may be contacted via Veggies Directory.

Veggies interview on Talk Radio Europe

The Hannah Murray Show is Talk Radio Europe’s daily magazine show that goes out live between 2 and 5pm CET (1pm GMT).

Listen on demand or download mp3 at Talk Radio Europe. Interview begins 39mins 40secs in.

Is milk good for you? Read how former cattle rancher Howard Lyman crisscrosses the country praising a meatless diet …here…

Much more info about the benefits of a veggie diet for animals, health and the environment may be found from Animal Aid’s Veggie & Vegan webpages.

Contact Animal Aid via Veggies Directory

and the Vegetarian Society and the Vegan Society.

However the Council House have refused to host further EMVFs so, to maintain public engagement on the urgency of dietary change for the health of people, other animals and the environment worldwide, Nottingham’s vegan campaigners held 9 Vegan Free Food Give-Away and campaign stalls on December 11th, each aiming to reach some 200 members of the public.

The success of the day depended on the support of autonomous self-contained teams of volunteers, each with 3 people including one adult confident to explain the ‘political campaign’ status of their stall to anyone official that might ask.

On the Friday cakes, pizza and other food samples were prepared at the Sumac Centre, and each stall kit was sorted out with tables, literature and utensils.

We then gathered at Sumac from 10am on Saturday to tour around the City, dropping off each stall in turn and collecting each one back as and when time, crew or supplies run out. Base camp was at the Old Angel, Stoney Street off Hockley, opposite the end of Broad (Broadway) Street, with a sampling stall nearby.

The People’s Kitchen meal afterwards at Sumac from 6.30pm was run as a fundraiser for Avalon Guinea Pig Rescue with a disco/party afterwards..

Please contact nottsfreefood[at]gmail.com if you are interested in supporting future giveaways, providing some food samples, or helping out in any other way. Or call 07870 861837.

http://www.veggies.org.uk/campaigns/nvvs/emvf/

Read the full East Midlands Vegan Festival posting for more info and the announcement at Nottm Indymedia.

Full report and pictures at
http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/804

First of all, thank you all so very much for all your continued support, kind words and donations at this difficult time.
…
As you may or may not already know back in August this year we posted a comment on our Facebook page about a distressing development in the relations we have with one of our neighbours at The Retreat. Here it is again:

URGENT HELP NEEDED!

Due to a neighbourly dispute, The Retreat is unfortunately having to leave its long-standing home in Crockenhill and relocate with all its resident animals and their accommodation. We are desperately looking for new land and the funding/support to help us move there. This has all come as quite a shock to us. Your help would be sincerely appreciated. Please contact us if you can help. THANKS AGAIN. (posted on Facebook 20th August, 2010)

The above dispute is still ongoing, despite continued attempts by The Retreat to cooperate with both the local council and the neighbours involved, to come to a peaceful agreement and put an end to the pointless conflict.

What we believe began as personal hostile behaviour towards the owners and volunteers of The Retreat, has now clearly escalated to a whole new level, and become a clear disregard for animal life.

12 animals killed in fireworks display aimed at The Retreat on 5th November, 2010.

The neighbours in question, who have lived next to the animal rescue centre for many years, threatened to and then intentionally held a fireworks display aimed directly at The Retreat property, its straw-filled accommodations, and all its animal residents. They even invited around 25 “guests” to watch this act of animal cruelty.

This disgusting display of animal hatred went on for 45 minutes, with over 70 rockets and fireworks landing in and around the animals. While The Retreat had to cancel all rescue work to call on all its volunteers to calm and protect the highly distressed and terrified animals, laughter and cheers could be heard from the other side of the fence!

12 adorable animals died on that night as a direct result: Our poor little Milly, a lovely Shih Tzu, who had become a very dear friend to all at The Retreat, died of a stress-induced heart attack; terrified Lydia, a semi-feral cat, died trying to escape the onslaught of rockets and noise; Thomas, a beautifully majestic cockerel who had been recovering in our hospital wing from a minor injury, died of shock along with 3 other cockerels; 5 of our pigeons, unable to find shelter from the chaos and perished; fireworks also went straight through the wings of a bat, were caught in the tail of a pony, stuck in the wire of the aviary, even landing in a hay barn. The damage and suffering does not stop there, however, as we are still having to deal with the distressing after-effects on a number of our animals with more nervous dispositions, such as Dana, a gorgeous pig, who we sadly lost last week. She had never been the same since the night of the attack!

Luckily, the police were called by our other neighbours, but the damage had already been done. Despite acknowledging the antagonistic nature of the event, no charges have been pressed or further action taken.

For the sake and safety of the animals, we have to surrender to this animal hatred and move.

The above event and the possibility of having to endure future acts such as this, e.g. New Years Eve, has left us all here at The Retreat heartbroken. A clear lack of objective support from both the council and local authorities leaves us with no other choice but to leave our long-standing home.
Now more than ever we need your support!

Thank you

The Retreat
http://www.retreatanimalrescue.org.uk/

See The Retreat on Veggies Directory

As the meat trade prepares for its annual frenzy of eviscerating millions of turkeys, Veggies crew rolled into Sheffield on November 25th, 2010, with Animal Aid’s Friend or Food campaign.



Possibly on request from the ostrich / buffalo meat stall, the market manager bimbled over to ask if we had applied for a market pitch. It was explained that nothing was being sold and that the stall was just ‘surveying public perceptions of meat products’. Having lent over to stick his head inside the stall, he accepted that as nothing was being sold we could totally carry on.



20mins later, possibly on request from the ‘Fresh -N- local’ dead pig stall, (complete with pretty pig pictures), he was back, together with a couple of ‘City Ambassadors’(!). A long, polite (and slow) discussion followed. No we weren’t blocking any access, yes we had liability insurance, no we don’t consider the stall to be a ‘vehicle’, yes we have a right to politically protest the meat trade, no we really are not trading.

The banter clearly wasn’t getting through so, moving to the empty taxi bay 5 yards away, far more productive conversations continued with the public. No for long though. In less time than it takes to read a hundred and one dalmatian recipes, a traffic warden arrived, so after a good hour and more, off we set off for the relative warmth of the Sumac Centre, discretion being the better part of valour!




Nov 27: Comment on this story at Nottm Indymedia
Nov 24: Sheffield Farmer’s Market Press Release
Oct 31: Friend or Food Campaign – full and ongoing details
Oct 28: Animal Aid Friend or Food Campaign launch

When: 12 noon, Thursday 25 November

Where: Farmers Market, Barkers Pool, opposite Sheffield City Hall

Contact on day: Pat Smith, 07870 861837 or Jez Dean, 07910425393

Featuring pictures of happy healthy dogs running through fields, chasing balls and swimming in streams, and the words ‘organic’ and ‘free-range’, the trailer will be offering dog meat to the public, with the assurance that all the animals were loved and well cared for before being butchered.

…And that’s when the unpleasant truth lying behind Sheffield Animal Friends’ initiative is spelt out.

Whether organic, free-range, corn-fed or rested on the finest mattresses, at the end of the day it’s all the same for animals farmed for their flesh. They all end up in the same slaughterhouses; they are all alone and terrified; they are all hung upside down by their hind legs and all end up bleeding to death.

Routine abuse has been documented, by national campaign group Animal Aid, and others, at slaughterhouses throughout the country, with animals being kicked, stamped on and improperly stunned before having their throats slit. The ‘dog meat’ stall will attempt to engage the public in a discussion about the way animals raised for food are killed and why certain animals are deemed unworthy of our compassion while others are treated as part of the family. Stall visitors will also be given free background literature.

Says Campaigner Pat Smith, who will be manning the dog meat stall:

‘Most people eat different parts of various animals every day, without thinking too deeply about what those animals’ last moments were like. We hope that this will get people to confront the fact that, at the end of the line, all of these animals died with the smell of blood and fear in their nostrils and terror in their eyes, and yet they are no different from the millions of dogs who we, as a nation, dote on.’

The dog meat trailer has been making its way around the country, stopping at markets in 14 cities, as part of Animal Aid’s annual Vegan Month promotion. *

Ends

* Vegan Month is an annual initiative that aims to encourage people to think about their food choices and question why some animals are loved and taken into our homes, whilst others are farmed and exploited for their flesh, milk and eggs.

Notes to Editors

• * For background information on Vegan Month or the tour contact Kelly Slade at kelly@animalaid.co.uk or call 01732 364546 ext 227. Out of hours, call Andrew Tyler on 07918 083 774.

• * High res images of the dog meat trailer and its graphics can be downloaded at: http://www.animalaid.org.uk/go/tourimages.

• * For more information about the vegan diet and lifestyle see: http://www.animalaid.org.uk/go/vegan.

• * Vegans around the country are available for interview.

• * An ISDN line is available for broadcast quality interviews.

• * News of the ongoing campaign may be followed at http://www.veggies.org.uk/2010/10/friend-or-food/

After visiting 12 cities from Norwich to Cardiff and Southampton to Glasgow, the trailer returned to its home base with Veggies on November 16th.

The tour has been immediately extended under Veggies care to Derby (Nov 17th), Nottingham Market Square (11am Nov 18th), Sheffield (Nov 25th) & Leicester (TBA).

Nottingham Market Square – 18th Nov

Radio Derby Feature – 17th Nov

Radio Derby’s Phil Trow’s Breakfast Show on Thursday 17th November, featured the campaign, running way beyond the expected 30minutes, interviewing several vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters, including mentions of Sound Bites wholefood co-op and Brinsley Animal Rescue. You can ‘listen again’ for 7 days (beginning 2hrs in with the 9am news report).

Radio Leeds Feature – 16th Nov

Radio Leeds was so overwhelmed by calls to their phone-in that they ran an additional extended feature on Wednesday 16th November, in a live link-up with the BBC studio in Poole. You can ‘listen again’ for 7 days (starting 1hr 12mins into the ‘Emmerdale stars Zac and Lisa Dingle’ show).

…more….

Comment on this story at Nottm Indymedia

…and your town…?

With your help the tour can keep rolling on. The trailer is now back with Veggies in Nottingham. Whilst we love nothing more than campaigning on the streets we can only free up a limited number of days out of our already busy schedule, often giving away actual vegan food rather than fake dog meat!

It is therefore best if you can find a driver, vehicle and towbar to pick up and return to Nottingham.

Vehicle access to markets and town centres has not been an issue as the trailer is very small and can be unhitched at the roadside and rolled into place. Community support officers, traffic wardens and police have not shown any concern once it is made clear that it is a campaign prop for political or charitiable purposes, citing freedom of speech and rights to protest.

Interested? Contact us!

Any Questions

Many of the questions raise by the appearance of the Friend or Food Stall have been addressed by the care2.com article 10 Arguments Against A Vegan Lifestyle, Including:

ARGUMENT #7: Animals don’t have feelings.

Professor Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson said in an article about research done for his book, The Pig Who Sang To The Moon, “A pig could be as devoted, as affectionate, as good a companion, as a dog, given half a chance. Chickens, like many birds, could form close bonds with a human who took the time to get to know these fascinating animals. Sheep, who had been dismissed as stupid animals, turned out to have remarkable discriminating powers, allowing them to recognize, know and have feelings about two hundred other sheep. Goats were as individualistic and as mysterious and complex as cats, and when permitted could live in delightful harmony with humans.”
…more…

July, 2011: Spoof website launched for Panda Meat vs tuna meat.
Visit http://panda-meat.com/

November 27, 2010: Comment on this story at Nottm Indymedia
November 25, 2010: Sheffield Demo Report and pictures
November 24, 2010: Sheffield Farmer’s Market Press Release

November 18, 2010: Nottm Indymedia report
November 18, 2010: Radio Derby feature
November 17, 2010: Tour extended to Derby, Nottingham (again), Sheffield & Leicester

November 3, 2010: Evening Post (print) article published
November 2, 2010:Indymedia article – comments welcome
October 29, 2010: Birmingham Mail article

Thanks for your help

Well done to all the Veggies, Nottm AR and vegan campaign crew for their help with a ‘dress rehersal’ at Clinton Street Market – the original location of Veggies Catering Stall from 1985 – 2002!

From here we rolled around to the nearby McDonalds (just down the road from our friends at Lush) on Clinton Street. From there it was another opportuntity to roll on down the hightway for the official campaign launch at 12 Noon right by the Council House on the Old Market Square.

Having been denied the opportunity to host the 7th East Midlands Vegan Festival at the Council House, it was appropriate to take it to the streets.

Once we had practiced the patter, the feedback ranged from bemusement to shock.

Apologies are due to the woman who was in tears, before we explained that it was all in the best possible taste – ie intended to draw comparisons between the animals who we pet and those who we eat. Pigs are as intelligent as dogs, and like dogs have only one thing precious to them – their right to life.

It was initially difficult to find the right ‘line’, so we were very pleased to have had the ‘dress rehersal’.

When inviting people “try a free sample of Dog Meat” people were often confused and walked away, and those that did stop struggled with the concept. If they were willing to talk it through though, they eventually ‘got it’ and were generally quite supportive.

Another approach was to say that we were interested to know if people prefered pork or beef, claim the dog meat to be as tasty as pig meat and get straight to the point – pigs are as intelligent as dogs, and value their lives just as much.

One lady, who eats ‘little meat’ but cooks it for her familiy, ended up challenging her own daughter to carefully read the displays and herself talked through the issues involved. The daughter’s response “my god, what will they be serving next” was very pertinent as the City Council often invite an ‘exotic meat’ farm to cater on the exact same spot. If people are bored by pig or cow meat, and want to try Ostrich, Kangaroo, Crocodile or Wild Boar, then why not Dog!

Can you help with our future campaigns?

Email Veggies or call 07870 861837

Animal Aid Report: Dog Meat Now Promoted at UK Farmers Markets

Comment on this story at Nottingham Indymedia

Outraged!

Whether organic, free-range, corn-fed or rested on the finest mattresses, at the end of the day it’s all the same for animals farmed for their flesh. They all end up in the same slaughterhouses; they are all alone and terrified; they are all hung upside down by their hind legs and all end up bleeding to death.

To check out the whole story, see the pictures of the trailer and the press release and tour dates.

The dog meat trailer is making its way around the country, stopping at markets in 12 cities, as part of Animal Aid’s annual Vegan Month promotion.

• Tuesday 2nd November – Nottingham Market Square, 12 noon.

  Click to view Nottingham Post report”
  
  

  Oct 27, 2010: Animal rights group to sell ‘dog meat’ in city centre
  This Is Nottingham (Nottingham Post) says “An animal rights group will set up a catering trailer in the city centre claiming to sell dog meat. Labrador steaks, leg of greyhound, Afghan burgers, dachshund sausages, and beagle chops are just some of the meats they will tell people.” …more…

• Wednesday 3rd November – Birmingham Farmers Market, 12 noon.
  Oct 29, 2010 – Birmingham Mail: ‘Dog meat’ to go on sale in Birmingham

• Thursday 4th November – Norwich Market, 12 noon.
• Friday 5th November – Borough Market, London, 12 noon.
• Saturday 6th November – Southampton Bargate Market, 12 noon.

• Tuesday 9th November – Plymouth City Market, 12 noon.
• Wednesday 10th November – Bristol Farmers Market, 12 noon.
• Thursday 11th November -Cardiff Market, 12 noon.
• Friday 12th November – Manchester Real Food Market, 12 noon.
• Saturday 13th November – Mansfield Park Farmers Market, Glasgow, 12 noon.

• Monday 15th November – Grainger Market, Newcastle, 12 noon.
• Tuesday 16th November – Kirkgate Market, Leeds, 12 noon.

The Friend or Food Tour is on Veggies Animal Rights CalendAR.

The trailer was last seen at Clinton Street Market in 2002, since when it has been laid up at Veggies’ base at Nottingham’s Sumac Centre.

Here’s the trailer at Clinton Street in 1985 with Cathy and a nought-year-old Francis.

Sorry Frank!

Since lying idle for 8 years refurbishing the trailer has been a big task.

We have:

• refurbished the suspensing
• replaced the wheels
• checked and rewired the lights
• repainted
• replaced the windows
• fitted out new locks all around

Before

After

Can you help with some of the costs of this refurbishment?

£5 would buy a tin of paint; £25 would pay to fix the windows, £50 would pay for locks; £170 would pay for suspension, wheels and electrics!

You can support our work with a donation by credit card or paypal here:

Vegan Catering Trailer Seeks Active Campaigners

Once the tour is over the trailer will be available as a ‘loaner’ unit for any group or event requiring vegan catering, along with Veggies Catering Campaign, operating out of Nottingham and Something Fishy, based in Manchester.

Find other Vegan and Vegetarian Event Caterers on Veggies Directory.

This reminds us of a cool poster campaign by the Vegetarian Society some 10-15 years ago.

By chance they have a new campaign running at the moment.

Check out The Butchers Cat.

We are delighted to announce that Lush Cosmetics is launching an in-store campaign “to highlight the cruelty that is going on in greyhound racing”.

The campaign, which will run in more than 90 Lush stores throughout the UK and Ireland from October 11th – 17th, is aimed at helping Greyhound Action in their mission to educate the public about the problems with betting on greyhound racing and going to the tracks.

Lush’s most important date and time for the greyhounds is Wednesday, October 13th at 12 noon, when the media will be invited to stores that are running the campaign. Lush shop assistants will be wearing running numbers and carrying placards saying “Don’t bet on it! Help end greyhound racing!” and customers will be invited to join in and try to win a small prize by participating in a human race. Where possible, Lush would also like rescued greyhounds to be present.

It would be great to get as many rescued greyhounds as possible along to the Nottingham Lush Store on Clumber Street at 12 noon on Wednesday, October 13th in support of Lush’s nationwide greyhound protection campaign

** If you intend taking greyhounds along on October 13th, please tell Greyhound Action as soon as possible, to give Lush some idea of how many dogs will be at each store.

Call 01562 700 043 or e-mail info@greyhoundaction.org.uk **

If you can’t make it along to a Lush store on the 13th, but can do so on other days during the week (with or without greyhounds), your support will still be appreciated, as each store will have hundreds of leaflets for distribution to customers and passers-by.

Greyhound Action in Nottingham (GAIN) hold fortnightly demos on Fridays from 6.30pm at the Nottingham track. Details can be found on Veggies Diary.