Start a new vegetarian group

No group in your area? It may be a truism - but it’s worth repeating - nothing will happen until someone tries something! So why wait, why not try yourself? The whole idea of starting up a new vegetarian group may feel very daunting. You may be asking yourself, what difference can one person make? But it’s surprising how quite simple actions can start the ball rolling. If you are feeling stuck or shy, here are a few ideas:

Organise an initial meeting

The simplest way to get a group started is to call an informal meeting to assess interest in your area. You need to:

Find a venue

A local pub or veggie-friendly cafe/restaurant makes a comfy, "neutral" space in fairly public territory for a first meeting. Do consider: Is it easy to get to? Does it have public transport? Are there parking facilities? Is it accessible to wheelchairs?

Choose a date and time

Try and find a time when the sort of people you hope to attract to the group will be free. Avoid clashing with major local attractions. Don’t always think in terms of evening get-togethers; lunch-breaks on Saturday in a popular shopping town can be appealing, or if you have a suitable café, a late Sunday morning breakfast.

Publicise your meeting as widely as possible

For example, posters in libraries, health food shops and health centres; write to the local papers and radio station. Remember to include a phone number, email or an address people can write to. They may not be able to make it to the first meeting, but might still be interested in joining your group.

Don't try to get too much done in this first meeting, make it a bit of a social but try to get a feel of what sort of activities people would like. Do take a note book to jot down all the ideas and get people's contact details so you can call a more serious "business" meeting in a few weeks.

We can help

If you join our Local Network, we can help support your new group, give you publicity in our magazine and on the website and much more.

Contact us for a 'Start Up Pack' which will give you more ideas and tell you all about our local network.