Member memories

In celebration of the society's 80th anniversary, we have gathered memories from longtime members and supporters, reflecting on their personal vegan journeys

Through these reflections, members share how their initial motivations  – whether driven by ethical beliefs, environmental awareness or health concerns – have evolved into a lifelong commitment to a vegan lifestyle.

The sharing of these memories stands as a testament to the passion, perseverance, and resilience of those who embraced veganism at a time when it was understood less well and often overlooked.

What inspired you to go vegan and how long have you been vegan? 

• “A BBC 2 World about Us programme on the life of a dairy cow in FEB 1975 made me go vegan overnight. So I’ve been a vegan since 1975 – 50 years!” (Joyce, Life Member, 83) 
• “What motivated me 45 years ago to become vegetarian and 15 years ago to become vegan, is the desire to protect animals.” (Martin, Member, 85) 
• “My wife and I became vegan in about 1970, when we joined The Vegan Society. There were several reasons for becoming vegetarian and then vegan – animal welfare, environmental, health.” (Brian, Member, 90) 
• “Fifty-six years ago, my wife and I made the life-changing decision to become vegans – a bold move, especially given that we were born, raised, and living in the deep South of the USA, in Nashville, Tennessee.” (Gibby and Patti, Life Members, 81) 
• “57 years ago, my bedroom window overlooked the pens where the cows and calves were housed after being separated. Spotting a Vegan Society advert and knowing all about dairy farming, I realised that I should be vegan and went vegan overnight.” (Margaret, Member, 72) 
• “I was inspired to go vegan working on a sheepfarm and loading my friends on to a trailer to go to the abattoir. I have been vegan 60 years.” (Anonymous member, 83) 
• “53 years ago, I became vegan after reading an article about veganism in a copy of the Vegetarian Society's magazine.” (Ronald, Member, 74) 
• “It was cruelty to animals that made me become a vegan. In the late 1970s I witnessed cruelty to a poor baby elephant in an animal circus. By the early 1980s my husband and I were full-blown vegans.” (Janet, Life Member, 87) 
• “What inspired me to go vegan 35 years ago was my wife and Why you don’t need Meat by Peter Gore and members of IOW and V&V.” (Mike, Member, 81) 
• “In my 20s I just felt happier not eating animals and after a short while I became vegan as I found there was plenty of alternative food if you looked for it.” (Roger, Member, 92) 

How has the perception of veganism changed in society since you first became vegan? Did you face any initial challenges? 

• “The perception of veganism is better now than it was, there is less prejudice. I remember people not liking me being vegan and being teased at my workplace.” (Anonymous member, 80) 
• “In the 70s and 80s veganism was seen by some as weird, others could be openly aggressive towards us and to family and friends who sometimes fed us we were a right nuisance. But no longer.” (Janet, Life Member, 87) 
• “Back in 1969, veganism was a niche lifestyle, often associated with fringe countercultural movements. Many people were unfamiliar with the term 'vegan,' and it was often misunderstood or even ridiculed.  

By the early 21st century, awareness of veganism was growing due to increasing concerns about animal rights, environmental sustainability, and health. Documentaries, books, and activists played a key role in shifting public attitudes.” (Gibby and Patti, Life Members, 81) 

• “My challenges were being shunned by many and alienated by society in general.” (Mike, Life Member, 81) 
• “I found that other people could be difficult and didn’t really understand, especially other males.” (Jim, Life Member, 77) 
• "Over the past 30 years, there has been more recognition of the existence of vegetarians/vegans, but it’s only in the past decade or two that we’ve seen a significant change – mainly due to concerns about environmental issues." (Brian, Member, 90) 
• "People now realise that vegans can be very fit and healthy. They see that we have lots of variety in our meals. We don’t have to miss out.  Access to the Internet has really helped with this." (Margaret, member, 72) 
• "I faced resistance from my parents, especially my mum, who thought I’d be dead within a year! I think most new vegans probably still face resistance from their parents, although maybe less now that veganism is more commonplace than it was back then." (Ronald, Member, 74) 
• "Discovering The Vegan Society and reading The Vegan magazine was a delight to find my thoughts and feelings were commonplace and that I was certainly not ‘nutty’ or alone." (Jill,  Life Member, 91) 

Can you share any memorable moments or milestones on your journey as a vegan? 

• “The recognition of the vegan diet by the prison system, starting in the 1980s (during part of which I was imprisoned in connection with Animal Liberation Front activities).

The Vegan Society's Open Door TV programme in 1976, which caused a considerable number of people to become vegan, some of whom I met.  

The first vegan fairs and festivals in the mid to late 1990s, especially the London Vegan Festival, which I attended for several years running." (Ronald, Member, 74) 

• "In 1994, I gave a talk on veganism and its connection to spiritual matters for the International Spiritualists Federation. This led to giving the same talk in the USA in 1996." (Mike, Member, 81) 
• "It was exciting to visit The Vegetarian Shoes business in Brighton in 2000 to buy leather-free shoes." (Anthony, Member, 80) 
• "It was definitely a milestone when manufacturers had to list the ingredients on the packaging. Prior to that, you had to post a letter to the manufacturer, enclosing a S A E, asking if the products contained any animal-based ingredients. There was no Internet to search for information or to send emails." (Margaret, Life Member, 72) 
• “When The Farm, a California-based community, moved nearby in the early 70s, we eagerly embraced the opportunity to learn how to make tempeh, tofu, and other plant-based essentials from scratch.” (Gibby and Pattie, Life Members, 81) 
• “I wrote “Healthy Eating for the New Age – a vegan cookbook”, only the second vegan cookbook in the UK. Published by Wildwood House in 1980. It went to 4 editions. It was good to get positive reviews.” (Joyce, Life Member, 83) 
• “I am sure that my diet, based on pulses, nuts and tofu, has helped me to recover well from cancer and chemotherapy treatment and a recent health check showed my heart age to be at least 12 years younger than my actual age.” (Patricia, Life Member, 64) 
• “One day in the early 70s I visited a restaurant in Hurst Street, Birmingham which was run by the Ananda Marga charity. All of the food they served was vegetarian, but I asked if there were any dishes that excluded cheese and dairy. After a few minutes, a lady, who was the cook, appeared and asked me if I was vegan. I said I had not heard that term before and she explained and informed me about the vegan society.” (Alan, member, 81) 

How has the availability and variety of vegan products changed since you first started following a vegan diet? 

• “We used to make our own “cheese” spread out of Tomor margarine, soya flour and yeast extract. We did have Sosmix, Tartex spread, Nuttolene, TVP dried textured vegetable protein mince and chunks.  Eating out was rarely an option. There were no vegan puddings, cakes or biscuits.” (Margaret, Member, 72) 
• “Now in our 90s it’s great that our son can buy us vegan options easily in places like Lidl.” (David, Member, 94) 
• “When we were first vegan, there was nothing. In the 1950s pea milk was very cutting edge. In the 1960s soya milk was made widely available by vegan pioneer Arthur Ling and his company Plamill Foods.” (Jill, Life Member, 91) 
• “The range of vegan products has changed significantly since I first started following a vegan diet. For example, the only milk alternative was Plamil and the only alternative to butter was Tomor. You could not buy commercially produced bread, biscuits etc because they all contained animal fats.” (Alan, Life Member, 81) 
• “It is SO much easier to find vegan products now – in every supermarket. Finding soya milk or marg (forget vegan cheese) in the 70’s was difficult. Only Plamil could help and their products were only in some health food shops.” (Joyce, Life Member, 83) 
• “In the 90s we used to buy our soya milk and meat substitutes from a large whole food shop in Northampton. I remember a crunchy, sprinkly product that had a bacon-like taste, which you can’t get now. I used to sprinkle it in sandwiches and cooking.” (Cynthia, Life Member, 83) 
• “It is a joy to be able to go to almost any restaurant and have a plant-based meal - in 1994, we had to phone ahead and ask if they would cook one for us.” (Paul, Member, 80) 
• “Vegan frozen meals are awful. There used to be a wonderful wholefoods shop in Swindon and I miss it. I have a whole porchful of vegan cookery books that I have collected over the years. I am disappointed that the word ‘vegan’ is often replaced by ‘plant-based’.” (Anonymous member, 80) 
• “In the early 80s there were practically no vegan products on the market, any that did exist were rarely advertised as such. We made our own recipes or stuck to plain veg, fruit, nuts etc. Soya milk was around but look at our choices now, almond, oat, coconut etc.” (Janet, Life Member, 87) 

Share your thoughts on the significance of supporting vegan advocacy and charities - how do you see veganism in the future? 

• “Vegan advocacy and charities are really important. It’s very reassuring to know that there are people you can turn to for help and advice, whether it’s about the availability of vegan options in hospital or school meals or just to know that you aren’t alone on your journey, whatever the reason.” (Margaret, Life Member, 72) 
• “My sons are both vegan and one runs Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary. I think that supporting vegan charities is important to help spread the word and promote veganism.” (Cynthia, Life Member, 83) 
• “I think that in 50 years a plant-based diet will be the norm (hopefully) - interesting to note that oat and soya milk are already becoming ubiquitous.”(Paul, Member, 80) 
• “I have a charitable trust which supports a variety of causes including non-animal testing etc. I see veganism increasing substantially in the future.” (Alan, Life Member, 81) 
• “Veganism has a significance in responding to climate change and environmental destruction. Animal farming and its destructive relationship to the environment is well documented and veganism is the only fully and complete answer to the damage. It needs carrying out on a grand scale. The Vegan Society is a major part of the drive to make this vital endeavour come about.”(Martin, Member, 85) 
• “Being on a reasonably small pension there is a limit to my spare cash for donations but I think that supporting The Vegan Society and other charities promoting veganism is important. I also support antivivisection charities – vivisection, is, I believe, one of the most dreadful things to happen and should be banned immediately.” (Paul, Member, 80) 
• “The livestock industry is extremely powerful, and politicians are very wary about upsetting those involved (farmers, land-owners, transporters, exporters, importers, food-producers, etc.), so I can’t see much progress occurring within the lifetimes of most people alive today.” (Brian, member, 90) 
• “I am happy to be supporting The Vegan Society. I know that adopting a vegan lifestyle has helped me maintain my health and fitness.” (Anthony, Member, 80) 
• “I made a will a few years ago which included a residual legacy to The Vegan Society which I hope in time will help with your important work.” (Patricia, Life Member, 64) 
• “I think it is vital that there is widespread vegan outreach for two reasons.  Firstly, to greatly reduce the demand for animal products, so that a very large number of our fellow animals are spared from suffering and slaughter. 

Secondly, to radically change the political administration so that it brings in measures to end animal farming and the fishing industry and to prohibit the exploitation and oppression of other animals across the board.” (Ronald, Member, 74) 

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