Ownership of treasured documents, including letters and nature diaries, penned by modern veganism’s founding father Donald Watson, has been officially handed to The Vegan Society as the charity celebrates its 80th anniversary
The Donald Watson Archive, which has been under the ownership of his son-in-law Tony Hazzard in Cumbria, contains personal papers he preserved throughout his life, including nature diary entries dating from 1927 , when The Vegan Society co-founder, was in his teens.
There are also letters detailing the coining of the word ‘vegan’ in 1944, when The Vegan Society was launched by Donald and fellow vegan and activist Sally Shrigley.
The archive is of great importance to Donald’s family in preserving his legacy and to the future of the movement he once referred to as “the greatest Cause on Earth”.
Interim CEO Abbey Mann, at The Vegan Society, said:
“We’re absolutely delighted and honoured by this unexpected gesture.
“Donald Watson’s lifetime of personal papers is so important to The Vegan Society and the wider vegan movement. The society owes it to Donald, its co-founder, to preserve his legacy and spread the message of hope and compassion he instilled at the charity’s heart, so we can continue to inspire generations of vegans to come.”
The Donald Watson Archive will complement the charity’s own archival material which contains correspondence from Donald including the transcript of an interview with him in 2002, and an obituary following his death in 2005. Also in the archive are the charity’s journals – including the first issue of The Vegan News, penned by the founder in 1944 – up to the latest magazine edition known now as The Vegan. Various pamphlets and flyers promoting the movement across the decades can also be found along with photographs, videos and broadcast interviews.
The Donald Watson Archive Project, a curation of the archive’s contents currently underway, will continue as part of the handover agreement between Donald’s family and the society.
The meticulous task is being undertaken by Dr Matthew Cole from the Open University, Dr Kate Stewart from the University of East Anglia, and Melda Kelemcisoy, also from the Open University, which has funded the project to date, alongside the Culture and Animals Foundation.
The project has focused on the digitisation, transcription and cataloguing of the personal papers of Donald Watson, with the aim of making it digitally accessible to the public.
But, for those who cannot wait, the gesture’s poignant timing means some of the documents will be on display for the first time as part of The Vegan Society’s exhibition ‘Veganism: Past, Present and Future’, which marks the charity’s 80th anniversary milestone.
The event will run from late May to August, in the Birmingham City Library, near the charity’s HQ.
Those interested in learning more about The Donald Watson Archive Project can view a presentation on the project, held at the charity’s annual ‘Research Day’ event.
