Viva! 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000 Fax: 0117 924 4646 email: media@viva.org.uk	20 May 1999 Sir Paul McCartney Names Linda's Champion A special award in memory of Linda McCartney has been made to Juliet Gellatley, director of the Brighton-based vegetarian charity Viva!. Ms Gellatley was nominated by Sir Paul McCartney himself who said: "She has worked tirelessly for many years on many animal issues, most recently being responsible for the successful campaign to remove ostrich and kangaroo meats from supermarket shelves. She is a very effective campaigner and someone I believe to be very worthy of this award." The ceremony at London's Park Lane Dorchester Hotel - part of the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards - was held on Thursday May 20 and was attended by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Ms Gellatley was introduced by Carol Vorderman as being single-handedly responsible for about half of Britain's non-meat-eating population becoming vegetarian. "She is an effective and intelligent campaigner whose dedication to helping animals won the admiration and support of Linda." Ms Gellatley's award was presented by Sir Paul himself who said: "I dedicated this award to my lovely Linda. Animal activists don't get paid and they do it for the animals who can't give any thanks. They do it because they believe it's right. This young woman has dedicated herself to the animals and she's a friend of Linda's and mine. I am really pleased to present her with this award." Responding, Ms Gellatley said: "I am genuinely honoured to receive this award. Linda was never afraid to speak out against animal abuse and she helped to make vegetarianism mainstream. I am doubly honoured that I was nominated by Paul McCartney. "That this award has gone to someone working to end farm animal abuse is a sign of changing public attitudes. Sadly, the fact remains that hundreds of millions of animals still live in pain and misery in factory farms all over Britain. Anyone who genuinely cares about animal welfare should no longer tolerate it. The answer is very simple - stop eating them. That's was Linda's message, that's my message. The fight goes on!" Ms Gellatley's most recent success, referred to in Paul McCartney's nomination, was Viva!'s 'exotic meats' campaign. It saw all the major supermarkets withdraw kangaroo, ostrich and crocodile meats from sale and led to Juliet Gellatley being awarded the Australian Wildlife Protection Council's award for the her success in defending the country's wildlife. Ms Gellatley authored the highly-acclaimed book The Silent Ark and the teenage book The Livewire Guide to Going, Being and Staying Veggie. Other campaigns include Convert-a-Parent, The Crate, with nationwide rallies and marches for teenagers opposed to live exports; Babe, linked to the film and which saw pork sales drop 10 per cent; and the on-going Pig In Hell, exposing the appalling conditions in Britain's pig farms. She started National Vegetarian Week in 1992 with Linda McCartney's support, increased the number of schools offering a vegetarian choice from 13 per cent to 85 per cent; and established a network of 120 trained school speakers. Juliet Gellatley was chosen by Paul McCartney for his first public interview following the death of Linda. It was published in Viva!Life magazine and syndicated world wide. Note to editors: Pictures of Ms Gellatley are available from the Press Association.   Further information - contact Lesley Jeavons on 0117 944 1000