We are delighted to announce that our Compassionate Living Fair has the full support of the following well known celebrities:

Benjamin Zephaniah

Poet and musician Benjamin Zephaniah became a vegetarian aged 11 and a vegan at 13, because he wanted to save animals. He is now a patron of Viva! and an honorary life member of The Vegan Society. Many of his poems are about animals and the way they are treated, you can read some on his website here  He said the following about the Compassionate Living Fair:

It`s great to see what Coventry Veggies & Vegans are organising, we need to see events like this all over the country, all of the time. Being environmentally aware means human rights and animal rights go hand in hand, armed with this type of awareness we can create a trult compassionate society. I know that a humane education is the way to animal liberation, so lets teach that love stuff, it`s all good.


John Feldmann

For the past 10 years, John Feldmann has been lead singer, guitarist and writer with punk/rock band Goldfinger. On top of that he`s also produced and written songs for other groups including Good Charlotte, the Used, Story of the Year & Ashlee Simpson. John is from Los Angeles, he`s 36 years old and strongly supports campaigns for animal rights, inparticular, he`s an avid supporter of Peta. Take a look at John`s own website here  John said the following about his transition to a cruelty-free lifestyle:

I was brought up as a child in a meat-eating household and didn't  realise what was involved in getting chicken, fish, beef etc onto the plate I ate at dinner. It was only through meeting vegetarians at a later age that it was brought to my attention and I realised what cruelty was involved. Needless to say I became vegetarian (and later vegan) quickly and easily. An event like the 'Compassionate Living Fair' sounds like the perfect way to inform those that don't realise how easy it is to transfer to a compassionate living lifestyle. There are so many different foods available, and so much information out there. I would recommend this 'Compassionate Living Fair' to anyone.


Karin Ridgers

Actress and TV presenter Karin Ridgers has many strings to her bow. She has played several dramatic film/TV roles and presented various documentaries, working with the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and The Discovery Channel. She has also worked in theatre and on radio. Karin has been vegan for many years and is a former director of The Vegan Society. She has since founded her very own internet TV station www.veggievision.com and has her own website here  Karin said the following about our Compassionate Living Fair.

I know first hand the stress and hard work it is organising an event! But when you get feedback like "Thanks I am now veggie" you know it`s all worth while! The Coventry event sounds excellent and I hope it`s a huge success for you, and you inspire many people to a more compassionate way of living in a positive way. I am looking forward to seeing the mini programme and adding it to VeggieVision.com (new look coming soon!) So people who didn`t make this event will see what they missed!
Best vegan wishes, Karin & the VeggieVision team.


Michael Mansfield QC

Michael Mansfield is the UK`s best known criminal defence and human rights barrister. Michael is also a patron of Viva! and has written a booklet for them entitled 'Life Sentences; The link between human and animal suffering and how it threatens the world'. Copies will be available at this event. Michael wrote the following in support of our Compassionate Living Fair:

Our attitudes towards animal treatment and welfare provide an excellent indicator of our true ability to care for fellow human beings. Those who exploit, oppress and kill animals are often the very same individuals and groups who support war and acts of aggression on the world stage.











Fred Mascherino

Fred Mascherino plays guitar & sings with the American rock band Taking Back Sunday. They toured the UK during August 2006, playing at various events including the Reading and Leeds Festivals. They moved onto cities in Australia, Japan and Europe, before heading back to the UK for many more dates in November, including a show at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. Taking Back Sunday have a great website here  Fred wrote the following in support of the Compassionate Living Fair:

I became vegan 9 years ago while I was in college. The decision was based on how the animals are treated in modern day production (the shift from farms to farm factories). At that time, I actually had no idea that I would also be healthier after the switch. Now, years later, I find more and more great reasons to stay off the meat. Lately for me, global warming has been a reason at the top of the list. If you care about the mark you leave on our planet, vegetarianism is one way to actively make a difference.



Chris Brandt

Chris Brandt plays guitar and sings with the American rock, punk, metal band called Halifax. Chris is aged 20 and has been vegan for 3 1/2 years. He`s from Thousand Oaks, California, but spends very little time at home due to always being on tour. Last year, Halifax played in cities across the UK and Europe. Take a look at the Halifax website here  Chris wrote the following in support of our Compassionate Living Fair:

Our society has evolved into us having the option to live a healthy vegetarian/vegan life. All it takes is a little effort and education to help out our future. You also won't be supporting a cruel industry that see animals, which have feelings and heartbeats, as a dollar sign.






We would like to thank Shari, editor of Black Velvet Magazine (UK Independent Rock Zine) for her help in obtaining 3 of the above quotes.

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