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Honorary Patrons

Meet our lovely Vegan Society Honorary Patrons! We are adding biographies and photographs at the moment.

	Freya Dinshah			Maneka Gandhi
	Rebecca Hall			Dr. Michael Klaper
	Moby			Gordon Newman
	Cor Nouws			Wendy Turner-Webster
	Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah, born 1958

Benjamin is a well-known author, poet and performer. He was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, to parents of West Indian origin and spent part of his childhood in Jamaica. He is a Rastafarian.

He started writing as a young man and had early success both as a published poet and a recording artist. He has gone on to have a brilliant career in popular culture.

Benjamin has long been a vegan, which accords very well with his Rastafarianism. In 1993, he was invited to take part in the production of the video, Truth or Dairy, to be published in 1994 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of The Vegan Society. He was the presenter in the video, which proved to be very popular, not least due to his personal qualities. Even thirteen years after its original production, the video stands up well and has been re-issued as a DVD.

After the issuing of Truth or Dairy, The Vegan Society made him an Honorary Patron. Since then, he has continued to be a good friend to The Vegan Society and a highly effective advocate for veganism. He produced a book of animal-related poems called Talking Turkeys, which combines his take on the animals' point of view with his characteristic quirky humour. His 'Little Book of Vegan Poems' is a personal favourite, and is particularly good for kids. He is often seen at events such as the London Vegan Festival and never misses an opportunity to speak up for veganism.

Benjamin hit the headlines in 2003 when he very publicly spurned the offer of the award of the 'OBE' (Order of the British Empire) from the British Queen. He now likes to think of himself as 'Benjamin Zephaniah, NO BE'!

Benjamin now lives in Lincolnshire, at least when he’s not globetrotting to another professional engagement, but still goes 'home' to Birmingham from time to time, to visit family and support his beloved Aston Villa Football Club. He attended the official opening of The Vegan Society's new HQ in Birmingham by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham in May 2007. He will always get a warm welcome back there any time he wants to visit!

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