Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Essex, of which singer Leona Lewis is a Trustee, has joined forces with the largest animal protection charity in the world, Humane Society International, to promote animal welfare and plant-based eating.
Animal lover Leona met with HSI UK campaigners at the sanctuary to launch the exciting new partnership that will see Hopefield and the charity work together to raise awareness of the impact dietary choices can have on animal suffering and the environment.
Central to the partnership will be telling the heart-warming stories of the sanctuary’s residents, many of whom have been rescued from the horrors of factory farming, to encourage visitors to rethink cows, pigs, chicken and sheep. At Hopefield’s newly re-launched plant-based café, HSI UK will help to develop engaging materials to make customers aware how eating more plant-based meals can cut greenhouses gases, save gallons of water, and prevent animal suffering.
Leona Lewis says: “Hopefield Sanctuary is incredibly dear to my heart, and I’ve also supported Humane Society International’s amazing work for a number of years, so I’m so excited about this partnership. Every pig, cow, turkey, sheep or chicken saved by Hopefield has a heart-breaking story to tell. Billions of animals just like them are raised and killed for food globally every year. These animals have very short and miserable lives. HSI UK and Hopefield passionately believe in telling these animals’ stories to help our visitors rethink farmed animals and to see them the way we see them, as individuals with personalities, as friends not food.”
Humane Society International/UK is supporting the animal care at Hopefield including essentials such as food, veterinary medicine and bedding for its four-legged and feathery residents.
Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International/UK says: “One of the simplest ways that we can make changes in our daily lives to combat climate change and animal suffering, is to eat more plant-based foods. So we’re thrilled to be working with Hopefield and Leona to enthuse new audiences in the benefits of cruelty-free cuisine. Our support will help Hopefield look after the animals in their care, particularly those like Chip the cow who were saved from a terrible life on an intensive farm. We will use their happy ending stories as part of our Forward Food program at universities across the country where we provide free vegan culinary training to chefs to help them serve more plants on plates to their increasingly vegan-curious students. As well as demonstrating the carbon saving impacts of switching to more plant-based meals, Hopefield’s animals will help us introduce students to the engaging personalities of the animals they’ll be saving with every mouthful.”
HSI UK’s Forward Food programme works across the country with universities and catering companies to encourage large-scale shifts to meat-free and dairy-free meals.
