VegfestUK Scotland

Special Guests
Big welcome to all our special guests, including the following
Christine Vardaros
(Saturday only)
Vegan pro-international cyclist,
competing professionally since
2000. She is a freelance journalist,
writer and translator. Christine is
also spokesperson for The Vegan
Society, IDA (In Defense of Animals)
and PCRM (Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine).
christinevardaros.blogspot.com
Nishma Shah
(Saturday only)
Kenyan-born Indian from the Jain
community, having settled in the UK
25 years ago. In 2005, she launched
Shambhu’s, an award-winning vegan
food business based in London. Her
mission at Shambhu’s is to show
how great vegan food can be, and to
teach how simple great vegan food is
to prepare.
shambhus.co.uk
Victoria Eisermann
(Saturday only)
Anneka Svenska
(Sunday only)
UK Wildlife & Vegan TV Presenter,
known as ‘The Little Green Angel’.
Anneka’s production team ‘Green
World TV’ can be seen filming at
every VegFestUK festival to find
out what is ticking in the world of
Veganism. Outside VegFest UK, she is filming wildlife crime, animal
protests and wildlife conservation. Her Green World TV motto is
‘We have the power inside to change the world’ and she’s providing
a voice for the voiceless through her TV shows.
www.annekasvenska.com
Ellie Bedford
(both days)
Author and Mum of two children
who is passionate about nutrition
and family health. Ellie is the author
of two children’s recipe books;
‘How to Eat a Rainbow: Magical
Raw Vegan Recipes for Kids!’ and ‘The Superdrinks Handbook for
Kids!’, plus the vegan and sugar free food blog ‘Ellie’s Recipes’.
elliebedford.com
Marlene Watson-
Tara (both days)
Prof. Gary L.
Francione (Sunday
only by Skype)
Board of Governors Distinguished
Professor of Law at Rutgers
University in New Jersey. Pioneer of
the Abolitionist Approach to Animal
Rights, he has been teaching animal
rights theory for over 30 years and
lectured on the topic worldwide. He is the author of numerous
books and articles on animal rights theory. He co-directed the
Rutgers Animal Rights Law Clinic until 2000, making Rutgers the
first university to give students academic credit for working on
actual legal cases involving animal issues.
abolitionistapproach.com
Patrik Baboumian
(both days)
Vegan strongman, voted “Vegan
Athlete of the Year” in 2013, when
he won the European powerlifting
title in the open category and set
two world records in the 125-140kg
category. He also set a record for
fronthold and leglift, and won the
German loglift championships.
patrikbaboumian.de
Dr. Doug Graham
(both days)
Lifetime athlete and raw fooder
since 1978, Dr. Graham is an
advisor to world-class athletes and
trainers worldwide. He has worked
professionally with top performers
such as NBA pro-basketball player
Ronnie Grandison, track Olympic
sprinter Doug Dickinson, pro women’s soccer player Callie Withers,
championship bodybuilder Kenneth G. Williams amongst many.
foodnsport.com
Andrew O’Neill
(Saturday only)
Stand-up comedian, metalhead,
amateur occultist and musician,
Andrew’s pretty much been a
show off since birth! He’s a vegan,
as you can tell by the fact that
he has a lithe, sinewy body. He’s
a heterosexual transvestite - he
wears female clothes and fancies
girls. andrewoneill.co.uk
Jake Yapp
(Sunday only)
Model and joint-CEO and co-founder
of the K-9 Angels dog rescue charity
(k-9angels.org). In 2011 Victoria
climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for the
children’s charity ‘Flying Kites’, and
in 2012 was a contestant in ‘Total
Wipeout’ for BBC1, and ‘Big Brother’
on Channel 5. Victoria proudly won
PETA’s ‘Europe’s Sexiest’ Vegetarian
award in 2007.
victoriaeisermann.com
Dr. Melanie Joy
(Sunday only)
Harvard-educated psychologist,
professor of psychology and
sociology, author of the awardwinning
book “Why We Love Dogs,
Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows,” and
founder and president of Beyond
Carnism. The video of her recent
TEDx talk on carnism is in the top 1%
of the most-viewed TEDx talks of all
time.
carnism.org
High-profile and dedicated
health counsellor and teacher
with over 35 years’ experience
of transforming lives around the
globe. International author of the
bestselling book ‘Macrobiotics
for all Seasons’. Most recently Marlene appeared with Professor T.
Colin Campbell, Dr Neal Barnard, and Dr. John McDougall and Dr.
Caldwell Esselstyn on the worldwide Vegan Health Summit that
presented 20 of the world’s top health experts.
marlenewatsontara.com
Bill Tara
(Saturday only)
Strong advocate of vegan diets for
almost 50 years. He was a pioneer
in the natural foods movement of
the 60’s and 70’s in both America
and the U.K. as a Vice President in
Erewhon Trading Company (USA)
and Sunwheel Natural Foods (UK).
He has been invited to present seminars in over 20 countries. Most
recently he appeared with Professor Colin Campbell and Dr Neal
Barnard on the Vegan Health Summit.
billtara.net
Gareth Zeal
(Saturday only)
Gareth has been working as a
nutritionist for over 20 years, has
co-authored 500 health tips with
Hazel Courtenay, lectures around
the world on the benefits of nutrition
in practice to naturopaths, health
food retailers pharmacists and doctors. The majority of his clients
have digestive issues but he still sees several athletes these days,
including endurance marathon, tri-athletes and MMA fighters.
Matt Ruscigno RD
(both days)
Matt is professionally credentialed
as a Registered Dietitian and is an
ethical vegan of nearly 20 years. He
is the past-Chair of the Vegetarian
Group of the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics and is co-author of
No Meat Athlete and Appetite for
Reduction. Matt is also a recreational athlete himself and has a
private practice in Los Angeles, California.
truelovehealth.com
Writer, composer and comedian,
with writing and performing
credits including Never Mind
the Buzzcocks, Charlie Brooker’s
Weekly Wipe on BBC2, and 8 Out
of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Jake
spent 3 years working on the
6Music Breakfast Show, writing,
performing and producing hourly
songs and sketches.
jakeyapp.co.uk
John Robb
(Sunday only)
Award-winning indie music
mainstay, vegan frontman of punk
rock band Goldblade (goldblade.
com), music author of best selling
books including “the Stone Roses
And The Resurrection Of British
Pop and and Punk Rock - An Oral
History”. John’s also the boss of
one of the UK’s top 5 music culture
website louderthanwar.com, and
singer with themembranes.co.uk
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