What we do

Having worked for a national environmental and sustainability charity for a decade, Dale Hoyland has developed key skills including strategic development, project and financial management, and facilitation.

He is a Practitioner member of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA) and now works for a Local Authority in Oxfordshire, piloting preventative healthcare solutions and projects to tackle climate change and preserve ecosystems for future generations. Dale has one daughter, is a life-long vegetarian and always keen to help others reduce their meat consumption then support them to become vegetarian/vegan.

Lifelong vegetarian, Conn O'Neill, manages external affairs for a diabetes technology company. Having previously worked for a national health charity and a leading UK politician, he brings both charity sector and campaigning experience to the table.

Fond of replicating enjoyable restaurant meals at home, Conn especially enjoys Italian and Indian food.

Andrew Johnson worked for over ten years in project management and IT, after which he started, ran and later sold his own business.

For the last five years, he has worked as a lawyer and deputy company secretary with a leading insurance company. Andrew, his wife and his three children are all vegetarians.

David Bennett is a graduate of London University and a Chartered Surveyor. He spent most of his working life in the London area but now lives in Lincolnshire.

David has been a committed vegetarian for over 50 years and has been the Chair of the Vegetarian Society from 2013-2018. Among his other interests David includes education and he has been extensively involved in school governance for over 30 years.

With over 20 years’ experience as a chartered accountant, Katharine Bagshaw brings an extensive knowledge of regulatory processes and committee work.

Interested in whole food vegetarian diets with simple food that doesn’t take a lot of preparation or processing, that is sourced in the UK wherever possible, she has worked for a long time towards a barcode-free freezer. She encourages people to make any step they can towards being vegetarian, however small, however late in life and regardless of how often they have tried in the past.

Clare has a business qualification and has had a long career at a senior level in marketing. She has applied her experience in the fields of marketing strategy, business development and customer service to both the commercial and charity sectors.

Clare now works as a life coach. She has been a vegetarian all her adult life, for environmental and animal welfare reasons.

Vegetarian of 32 years, Michael Harriot is a member of the Co-operative National Members Council. He is also Chair of a Community Book Co-operative, which runs a second-hand bookshop and online store.

He has worked in the charitable sector for 19 years, and set up a local family service charity in 1998. Michael currently works for HMRC in a tax compliance role.

Debbie Jones is a freelance travel writer and journalist, writing under the pen name Olivia Greenway. A former delicatessen owner and caterer.

She takes a keen personal interest in food production, chefs and cooking practices, especially those with a vegetarian angle. Occasionally writing food stories and conducting interviews, she is a regular restaurant reviewer. She became a vegetarian back in 1980, therefore is a good home cook by default.