Vegetarian pen friend lists

Many people have found it very rewarding to correspond with fellow vegetarians and vegans in different parts of the world. You can exchange recipes, discuss issues, get some moral support or just learn about different lifestyles and cultures. To help you do this, the Vegetarian Society runs two penfriend lists for vegetarians: one for those who want to correspond by paper, and one for those who prefer email.

There's no charge for an entry on either list but you do need to be 18 or over and a vegetarian, a vegan, or in the process of changing your diet to vegetarian/vegan.

To sign up to either list, fill in the relevant form, letting us know your name, address, age, how long you've been vegetarian for, and your interests and hobbies and whether you want to be included on the snail mail or email lists (or both). You can also write in with these details if you prefer not to fill out the online form. Our address details are at the bottom of the page.

Please remember that these are penfriend lists, not a dating service. We reserve the right to refuse any entries deemed to be inappropriate.

Snail mail

“Snail mail” is for people who like to correspond the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper. Our penfriend list, the Vegetarian Friendship Circular, has been going since the mid 1980s and is perfect for people who who like to exchange long, chatty letters over a leisurely timescale. 

Your entry will be included in the list for about two years and then be automatically deleted. However, if you wish it to continue for longer, just let us know, and we will renew it for another two year period. As the penfriend lists are only updated monthly, you might have to wait a while before letters start to arrive. If you live in the UK, and would like to receive a paper version of the penfriends list, please send us a large stamped, addressed envelope.

Email

The email penfriend list was started to reflect modern interests. It's lively with a more rapid turnover.  We don't publish your full home address on this list, but we do give people a general indication of where you live - eg county and country.  

The email list is updated frequently and you will be emailed the latest copy once your entry is accepted. Entries stay on the email list for around one year, but you can renew. There’s also an option to receive a monthly update if you wish.

If you want an email-only penpal, we do not need your full postal address. However, it does help potential pen friends to know roughly where you are, so please give county, region or state and, of course, country. Two-letter state/province codes can be meaningless to people in other countries, so please spell out names in full.

Warning

We do try to be careful about putting people on the penfriends lists - but there is no way of knowing that anyone is who they say they are. (e.g. it is very easy for a man to pretend to be a teenage girl on the internet!)

• Do consider signing up to a web-based email service (eg yahoo or hotmail) rather than using your home email address as an additional safeguard.

• Never arrange to meet anyone from a penfriend list alone, take along a trusted friend or relative. If you are using email, never give out your home address or phone number unless you are absolutely sure who the other person really is.

• Be aware that a genuine penfriend will also not ask you for money, your bank details or pin numbers. 

The Vegetarian Friendship Circular,
The Vegetarian Society,
Parkdale,
Dunham Road,
Altrincham,
Cheshire
WA14 4QG, UK.

Email:  network@vegsoc.org