Lifestyle

Panda London – Bamboo bedding

I have recently invested in some bamboo bedding and it was the best decision! It’ s super soft and feels so luxurious. The Panda London bedding is completely vegan using bamboo instead of the usual down-filled duvets. It’ s also very light but not so much that it gets too cold in winter – the bamboo is temperature regulating and breathable so no need to swap for a winter or summer duvet!

There are so many pros to getting bamboo bedding like it being naturally antibacterial, odour-resistant and hypoallergenic (so great for anyone one who suffers from eczema or allergies)! It is also moisture-wicking and easy to look after. It can be washed on a low temperature and dries quickly so no need to waste loads of energy cleaning it. Best of all though, is that Panda London claim that bamboo is the world’ s fastest growing plant, which only needs a third as much water as cotton. And they claim not to use any harmful chemicals, meaning their bamboo is organically grown so the earth and water remain clean. And if you need any more convincing then, Panda London say they protect animals and their natural habitats by sourcing bamboo only from approved forests. – so, cruelty-free and vegan all round! Writing this now makes me want to get back into bed – it’ s that comfy! Bamboo bedding – from £19.95 – £180. mypandalife.com

lifestyle

The Conscious Candy Co Vegan Fried Eggs Fry or Grow? Sleep on it!

I am so happy that these have finally been veganised! They taste amazing and (from what I remember) taste the same as the non-vegan ones! They have been created by The Conscious Candy Co and are delicious! We have recently added them to the Viva! shop so be sure to check them out! The vegan fried eggs are the UK’ s first ever and are vanilla flavoured with a subtle orange tang and are palm oil free! How egg-cellent! £2.99.

You can also find a fizzy gummy mix and a nonfizzy mix pouch from Conscious Candy on the shop too! £2.99 vivashop.org.uk

Grocycle Mushroom Kit

If you love mushrooms, then this is for you! You can use this kit to grow your own delicious oyster mushrooms in just 14 days! It’ s super easy and guaranteed to grow. The kits are made by mixing coffee grounds and straw with oyster mushroom spawn and incubating it under ideal conditions. They are then shipped to you for the fun part!

Once you receive the kit all you need to do is cut a hole in the bag, spray with water each day and watch them grow! The first harvest is approximately two weeks after opening and once you have finished harvesting them you can soak the kit overnight and repeat for another couple of crops! Make an amazing oyster mushroom steak by The Wicked Healthy or try the Broccoli and Oyster Mushroom Tempura with Forced Rhubarb Sauce – both recipes on the Vegan Recipe Club app – delicious! £19. shop.grocycle.com

Green Gazelles…

the accidentally vegan rugby team

BY JESS NAGJI-NUNN, VIVA!

The Green Gazelles are a rugby club with a difference. They describe themselves as “a community space for like-minded rugby and environmental enthusiasts” . Unlike regular rugby clubs they have a flexible global membership of 200 players who they can call on to form a team in almost any country – oh, and they also happen to be the world’s first entirely vegan rugby club!

The brainchild of husband and wife team, Brendon and Amy Bale, the club came about by accident in 2018. Amy went plant-based for health reasons and then dutiful husband Brendon agreed to accompany her – just for a week. They were both amazed to discover the difference in their energy levels and how much better they felt after just seven days and that was it!

Driven by energetic passion for both rugby and veganism, they created a community club “ …so that like-minded athletes can thrive together, normalise veganism, raise funds for charity and promote earthcaring behaviours on and off the rugby pitch!” They also work with companies and charities – such as Viva! – to shout about the benefits of veganism and encourage others to make the change.

Last year, Brendon Bale and the Green Gazelles featured in our sports nutrition video Without the Meat – one of our most popular online videos ever with well over 300,000 views!

This year, on June 11, at the athletic ground in Richmond, Surrey, the Green Gazelles took part in the Summer Social – a one-day sports festival sponsored by Viva!. Juliet Gellatley ’s sons, Jazz and Finn were there to hand out information, leaflet and talk to rugby fans, encouraging them to try vegan.

Green Gazelles posted: Thanks @vivacharity for being our Tournament Sponsor – we will rep you well on the pitch. And so, they did! BBC Sport were there and Green Gazelles were the plate winners – their first silverware of 2022!

After the event, Brandon emailed us: “A superb success for Green Gazelles Rugby Club, bringing together our like-minded community, spreading our message through rugby and winning some silverware. None of this would have been possible without the support from Viva!. Finn and Jazz mixed in super well and helped us to share our message through sport. ”

Brendon has also just signed up as a health and fitness ambassador for Viva!, alongside former rugby union Under-20s Wales player, Lewis Robling. Together they will be featuring in a new Viva! campaign promoting veganism for sports and fitness, primarily targeting young men aged 18-35; a massively underrepresented group within the vegan community. They will help to challenge the old misconceptions that you have to eat meat in order to be masculine and get the nutrients you need to be a top athlete.

Brendon says: “This is a perfect fit for me. As director of the Green Gazelles, I encourage the team with their training and ensure they get the best plant-based diet possible. It’s been great working with Viva! for the past year – a charity incredibly passionate about what they do. I want to inspire the next generation of young athletes to put down the chicken and eggs and opt for a vegan diet in order to reach their full athletic potential. This project will help transform people’s lives. ”

Here’s to a long and inspiring partnership, Green Gazelles.

Finn and Jazz Wardle-Gellatley with a mass of information at their fingertips

‘I’m goIng to JOin viVa!’s UNdeRcoVer TEam!’

Cynthia’s a realist and knows her time is now limited. She has always supported Viva!’s campaigns against animal cruelty but with few resources. When she finally goes, Cynthia knows she’ll leave some decent money and wants to use some of it to save animals from suffering. That’s why she intends to support Viva!’s exposés of factory farming. Viva! is changing the face of Britain and Cynthia still wants to be a part of it –wherever she is. Please remember Viva! in your Will so we can go on saving animals For information on leaving a Will, see viva.org.uk/legacies or ring 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9-5) Check out our campaigns on viva.org.uk/campaigns The woman pictured is a model but we want to thank Cynthia Harper for her extraordinary generosity.