Page 29 - Market Times February 2022
P. 29

FEATURE • THE GREAT YORKSHIRE VEGAN MARKET 29
Great Yorkshire delicacies like Yorkshire puddings and fish and chips were in great demand at Leeds Kirkgate outdoor market recently, but there were no eggs, milk, cod or haddock involved in the mix. Nicola Gould visits the Great Yorkshire Vegan Market which is improving the lives of animals in more ways than one
 An animal lover since she was a young child, Victoria Bryceson still remembers the shock she felt at the number of stray dogs roaming the streets in Borneo, many of them injured and in a terrible condition.
Victoria, who hails from Carlisle, was visiting Borneo to climb Mount Kinabalu, but she left with a mission to try to halt the suffering.
“I started a charity, Miracle’s Mission, with the aim of getting stray dogs spayed in countries like Borneo,” she said.
Miracle’s Mission also helps to rehabili- tate and rehome disabled dogs in the UK.
Once the charity was up and running, Victoria realised she needed a sustainable way of funding its good work, so she hit on the idea of running vegan markets.
“I have always loved dogs. Every photo
from childhood is of me with a dog,” she said.
A committed vegan, she had previously worked in office jobs but had always fan- cied working in events, and running vegan markets seemed a perfect combination for her skills and passion.
“Back in 2015 vegan markets weren’t a big thing,” Victoria said. “I had heard of one in London and another in Brighton.”
She decided take the plunge and trawled Google to make contact with vegan businesses, asking them if they wanted to stand a vegan market she was running.
“I really had no idea if it would work or not, but I got Leeds Kirkgate Market as my first venue and just went for it — and it worked,” Victoria said.
She staged her next vegan market in Manchester and after that Vegan Markets
UK spiralled, with all profits going to Miracle’s Mission.
Victoria now runs a busy calendar of vegan markets, festivals and events up and down the country, although the number has been affected by the pandemic.
Most markets are held in indoor venues and attract a diverse range of vegan traders and businesses, and the events have proved a big success.
The Great Yorkshire Vegan Market at Leeds outdoor market, where it all started, was full of vegan traders selling every type of food, vegan clothing and arty, crafty products.
There was plenty of hot food — from hot dogs to fish and chips, and the cakes and pastries looked mouth-watering. But there is a lot more to veganism than vegan foods, and the traders were passionate
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