Media Release

Monday, September 7, 2009 - For immediate release

Heather Mills and celebs get fruity for new veggie campaign

Photos available (hi-res versions available on request or click on thumbnail)

A TEAM of veggie celebrities were in Bristol last weekend (Saturday, September 5) encouraging people to reduce the amount of meat they eat any day of the week – as part of a new campaign by animal group Viva!.

With 31 million people in the UK eating vegetarian most of the time – Viva! believe going meat free for just Monday – as proposed by recent campaigns – is just too easy.


Fruity Fundays – Choose Your Veggie Days was launched with a glamorous photo call featuring Viva! patrons Heather Mills, vegan campaigner; Michael Mansfield QC, top defence barrister; Wendy Turner Webster, TV presenter, with husband, actor Gary Webster and BBC Children’s presenter Sarah Jane Honeywell. They were holding a giant strawberry featuring the Fruity Fundays logo.


The stars were joined by Viva!’s own Fruity Fundays Cocktail Waitresses, veggie models Jaffy and Leela Carr-Bond, from Bristol – who were serving up fruity delights in giant cocktail glasses, wearing tutus and colourful campaign t-shirts. 


Viva! founder and director, Juliet Gellatley, said: “Fruity Fundays aims to help people reduce meat any day of the week – and then encouraging them go the whole way to becoming vegetarian or vegan.


“Viva! will be rolling out this exciting initiative initially in Bristol (followed by Bath and Brighton) –  working with local businesses, Local Education Authorities, Local Government, Primary Care Trusts and communities to encourage people to commit to Fruity Fundays with only veggie food served one day a week or more. Serious action is needed to tackle global emissions from the meat, fish and dairy industries and we believe this campaign is vital in getting millions more people across the UK to take the action they need in order to make a real difference.”


It is so easy to tread lightly on planet Earth. Join in with Fruity Fundays and you immediately reduce your part in all the huge environmental problems that seem so intractable.”


Ms Gellatley continued: “You can do it! You can save animals from suffering, reduce global warming and improve your health and it all starts with Fruity Fundays. And the longer you stay fruity, the greater your impact!”


Viva! patron Heather Mills said: “Fruity Fundays – life enhancing, health promoting, planet protecting, animal saving. Careful! It could become a habit!”


For more information about Fruity Fundays, visit www.fruityfundays.com (website will be fully open soon) or call 0117 944 1000 for your free Fruity Fundays pack.
 

ENDS For more information about this media release, email press officer Helen Rossiter helen@viva.org.uk or director Juliet Gellatley juliet@viva.org.uk or call 0117 944 1000.

For out of hours media enquires, please call 0794 453 3021