Cruelty Free Christmas Fayre, Sat 15 December ~ by Max d'Ayala
This event at the Friends Meeting House drew in quite a number of people with genuine commitment to the Veggie cause. Gabrielle and Lee were also running a stall raising funds for the Humane Research Trust. Many people stopped for a chat at the stall and I can't remember having met so many new vegans before. About one-third were vegans and most of the rest were vegetarians. If you didn't go you also missed out on the wonderful mouth watering array of food available at the cafe. We hope to see some of you again in the not too distant future.
Friendly Xmas Lunch, Mangreen, Sat 8 December ~ by Peter Smith
Thirty-one members of the N.V.V.S. gathered at the Orchard Room, Mangreen Hall, for their annual Christmas Friendly Lunch. This included two new Vegan members Stewart and Cheryl who decided to join us after reading about the event in the Veg Soc UK news letter. A wonderful selection of Christmas fare provided by the members was enjoyed by all.
The highlight of the event was provided by the Hon President, who, just before the raffle was due to take place, disappeared with two assistants and re-appeared dressed as 'The Christmas Fairy' accompanied by laughter and applause. She then proceeded to supervise the raffle. Before each prize was presented to the recipient (after selection) she dusted it with some magic powder and gave it her blessing before handing the prize to its owner.
As always a wonderful and happy event enjoyed by a group of dedicated Vegetarians and Vegans.
Friendly Lunch, Mangreen, Sat 10 Nov. ~ by Max d'Ayala
The food as usual was excellent with a host of different dishes to wet the appetite, although a few people were a bit sceptical of my laver and dulse seaweed surprise!
Margaret Flint talked on minerals and there seemed to be so much agreement with her
that it makes you wonder how pill-popping 'health-food' stores stay in business.
She first became interested in nutrition when her baby daughter was diagnosed with
Still's Disease. Doctors predicted that her daughter would ultimately be
wheelchair bound, crippled by rheumatoid arthritis. Margaret was convinced that
a healthy diet would help and this led her to research and follow a diet where
the major and trace minerals are obtained from whole fresh foods rather than supplements.
The body produces essential chemicals such as hormones and enzymes and all these
require minerals. Fruits, berries and vegetables provide these along with many
vitamins and antioxidants. Organic bee pollen, for its wide range of minerals and
amino acids, and honey for its anti-bacterial properties are also highly regarded
by Margaret. Today, at 28 years old, Margaret's daughter leads an active life
despite the arthritis. Had they not followed a diet high in natural minerals,
as well as investigating treatments such as Hot Sand Therapy in France,
then Margaret is convinced that neither of them would be as healthy as they are today.
EcoTech Visit, Saturday 8 September ~ by Peter Smith
Several members trecked their way to the Eco Centre near Swaffham.
An amazing place with exhibitions on how to
protect the environment, and how to make good all waste products.
A walk round the organic gardens certainly proved the point that there is no
need to use artificial fertilizers or insecticides. Huge vegetables and
fruit of the highest quality were there to be seen.
Special composting bins on display at a reduced price induced me to
purchase one.
Some of the more agile amongst us climbed the three hundred plus steps to the observation platform of one of the highest wind turbines in the country. On their return they all declared the views were well worth the energy expended.
Allotments Fayre, Notcutts, Norwich, 1/2 September
These two days were very busy and successful. At least ten members helped out over the two days providing information, cakes and snacks, and veganically grown produce. Alicia's chocolate cake proved popular as did Gabrielle and Lee's recipe book which sold out.
Click on the picture for a full sized version.
Charities Fair, Mannington Hall, Sunday 2 September ~ by Ann Kar
This, as always, was a very pleasant event, though for the first time since I have been taking part the weather was somewhat uncertain. The occasional shower and sudden gust of wind made it rather difficult to display leaflets, but it seems likely the Society may have gained one or two new members. I did quite a brisk trade in jam, small cakes, home-grown vegetables and assorted handcrafted goods, taking a total of £71.25. After a deduction of £15 for expenses £56.25 remained for our funds. A cheque for this amount has been sent to our treasurer.
Talk by Juliet Gellatley of Viva! ~ by Max d'Ayala
Friends Meeting House, Norwich, Friday 24 August
Despite arriving a few minutes later than scheduled, after a traffic delayed journey from Brighton, Juliet Gellatley gave a fascinating talk covering the three cornerstones of the vegetarian lifestyle. The first part related the recent research of Viva! into the UK pig industry. The statistics (and reality) are depressingly familiar for anyone who is already a vegetarian. For anyone else it is a timely reminder that animals are just treated as the raw material on a production line, generating the maximum amount of meat (and profit) in the shortest possible time. The full Viva! report can be found on their website (www.viva.org.uk) along with a series of pictures.
If we remove ourselves from this chain of food production we can gain the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. Our closest genetic cousins are the chimpanzee and gorilla. Although there are several millions of years of evolution since we diverged from a common ancestor a vegetarian diet is still perfectly suited to the workings of our digestive system. Many scientific health studies have shown that vegetarians are less likely to suffer from major diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. While the government has no interest in promoting the health benefits of a vegetarian diet they are happy to spend vast amounts protecting the meat industry.
The environmental consequences of a change to vegetarianism are often overlooked by those who continue to eat meat. Animals require large amounts of food in order to grow. They eat far more food than is produced once they are slaughtered. As an example, the Chinese are now moving to the industrial farming of pigs and now have over 500 million. Ten years ago China was exporting grain but now has to import it to fatten the animals. The water supply is also being drained to help grow the extra grain required. In the UK, particularly in Norfolk, we are used to a large amount of the land being taken up for crop use but few people seem to question whether it is being used wisely. Who knows, if everyone was to turn vegetarian large chunks of currently farmed land could be restored to their natural flora and fauna. Then the only pigs we might see would be the families of wild boar, living as they once did in our local forests.
Picnic at Ellingham Mill, 19 August ~ by Ann Kar
Once again we managed to pick one of the wettest days of the summer for our picnic, so we didn't after all meet up at the Mill but spent our time in Joyce's gazebo. It was perhaps fortunate that there were not too many of us there all at the same time as, large though the gazebo is, space was of course somewhat limited. As in Sheringham, by forcing us under cover the rain gave us the advantage of being provided with hot drinks, and we have to thank Joyce and Sandra for their hard work, as well as Joyce's relatives, who arrived in the afternoon offering a delicious tea and further jolly company.
Maybe we'll strike lucky with the weather for our trip to the Ecocentre next month!
Greshams School, Holt, 14 July ~ by Jane Johnson
The event on Saturday was very good, by far the best event of its sort that I have attended. We distributed 100's of leaflets and recipes, in fact if I had copied many more recipes and taken many more of each, I think we could have got rid of them all, there was so much interest.Many folk came to us for help and advice and we left feeling that there were very many people on the brink of changing over to a veg*n diet. Many more people seemed concerned from the animal welfare viewpoint whereas in the past the main concern seemed to be from a health viewpoint, so we felt that things were moving in the right direction.
I think that John and I must be a good advertisement for the vegan movement because people kept coming up to us and saying "we just can't believe you are vegan, you both look so healthy, positively blooming!", which of course was a good opener for discussion. When we told them we looked healthy from all the time we spent outdoors early mornings before going to work and weekends on our allotment growing our own food, that proved another good opening for discussion. We found gardeners were not aware that it was possible to grow organically without animal manure and they were very interested in the concept. We told them we also looked well because we liked food so much which surprised people who had thought that the veg*n diet was a penance rather than a pleasure!
Visit to Sheringham, 7 July ~ by Ann Kar
Wouldn't you know it! The very day our outing to Sheringham was due (Saturday, July 7) the brilliant sunshine and heat turned to grey skies and rain. Never mind. It is always a pleasure to meet other members, and Sheringham is a lovely place to visit in any weather. The Festival was on, with Morris dancers, a seamen's choir, etc., and the rain wasn't so heavy or constant that they couldn't carry on. Two of us went by train, others by car, and some live in Sheringham anyway.
The planned picnic on the beach had to be abandoned for obvious reasons, but this was to some extent an advantage as we were allowed the use of the Friends' Meeting House in Cremer Street. We could sit in civilised fashion round a table with plates, napkins and cups of tea! Thanks are due to Peter and Jane McClean for making the room available and for providing the niceties we would not have had on the beach. Many thanks also to Jane and John Johnson for their care in producing a detailed map and instructions and some of the items enjoyed at the lunch.
National Vegetarian Week ~ by Ann Kar
The sun did shine on other events. Joyce's coffee morning
at Kirby Cane went with a swing. NVVS members and others enjoyed
refreshments, raffle, side stalls with plants, vegetables and
other items, and had the pleasure of seeing Joyce (on the right), her garden and
each other. A very happy gathering. Joyce's cats made
themselves scarce for the interim while others took over their
home.
Cromer Lunch ~ by Jane Johnson
Cromer Lunch was successful but rather chaotic! I think we served
quite a lot more diners than in previous years and there were
quite a few members of the general public and new faces. The
catering equipment was rather sparse and Frances Solder, who was
chef for the day, had to improvise somewhat! I would guess we
served between 40 and 50 veggie lunches.
New Members
A warm welcome to the five new members who joined in May.
This now brings the total membership to 63.
Attleborough Mind Body and Spirit Festival
Held at the Connaught Hall in Station Road, Attleborough. A pleasant day was
had by all in the laid back and relaxing atmosphere. The good weather (at last!)
seemed to keep people away but there were a number of interested visitors.
NVVS web site launched! What do you think about it? Send us your comments. More will be added to the site in the coming months.
Norfolk Vegetarian & Vegan Society Annual General Meeting
The Orchard Room, Mangreen
This was the first AGM for the society with the new name (previously known as the 'Norfolk and Norwich Vegetarian Society'). In recognition of Joyce's dedication to the society over the years she was re-elected by the members not just as President but as Honorary Life President.
It has been an active year with membership currently standing at 58, an increase on the previous year. Events in National Vegetarian Week involved much hard work by members but the proceeds have helped to boost society funds. The Friendly Lunches over the winter have been very popular.
Club officers and committee members were proposed and elected (details given on the 'about us' page). Events for the Summer Programme and National Vegetarian Week were discussed.