Previous events

This page gives details of our previous events that have been held.

Please click on the links below to go straight the required event details:
Note: to see larger photos of any of those shown, just click on the image, and it will be shown in a new window.

2005

2004

Group Meeting - Saturday 10/12/2005

Our last meeting of 2005 at almonds & raisins was very successful, with a good turnout. Most of us ventured down to Bob Trollop's on the Quayside afterwards for some veggie/vegan lunch.

LUSH Event - Friday 25/11/2005

LUSH very kindly organised a pamper evening/shopping event for us at their Newcastle shop, (124 Grainger Street, Newcastle NE1 5AF - see map). They put on veggie drinks and nibbles, and were very friendly and helpful. All of their products are suitable for vegetarians, and many are also suitable for vegans. They were very knowledgable about all of their products, and were able to point us in the right direction for whatever it was we wanted. Some of us even enjoyed a massage and a fizzy feet treatment! We all had an enjoyable evening, and came away with a few Christmas presents, and some treats for ourselves too! - and with a small discount. If you want further details about the company and products see the LUSH website.

AGM - Thursday 17/11/2005

A very good turn out for our AGM at the Old George Inn, a year on from the group first forming. Much discussion went on about the way the group works, constitutions (we don't have one), organisation, our discussion group, the website, etc. We decided we wanted Mike to stay on as group 'Organiser/Coordinator' liasing with the VegSoc, moderating the discussion group and managing membership among other things. It was made clear though that Mike is always open to suggestions, doesn't dictate to the group in any way, and groups members are always encouraged to get involved, take the initiative, and organise individual events. We try to run as more of a co-operative.
Discussion also went on about possible events for the coming year, such as the Green Festival and National Vegetarian Week.

Group Meeting - Saturday 15/10/2005

Our regular meeting at almonds & raisins was again well attended. Apart from enjoying the tea, coffee, hot chocolate, toast, carrot cake etc, we managed to make a few decisions. We discussed setting up the programme of events for the new year, an event at LUSH, starting to think about the Green Festival, coming to the AGM with some ideas among other things. We also decided to go for a to Bob Trollop's after our next almonds & raisin's meeting in December, for a spot of lunch.

Indian Meal - Friday 7/10/2005

9 of us eventually attended the meal at The Last Days of the Raj Indian restaurant in Gateshead (168 Kells Lane, Low Fell, Gateshead, NE9 5HY - see map) - after a few had to drop out at the last minute. We enjoyed a delicious meal, accompanied by a piano player! We weren't rushed at all, and had a leisurely meal. They have a very good selection of veggie meals on their menu, and happily catered for the vegans too. We were too full though to consider looking at the dessert menu.

Group Meeting/Quiz/Social Event - Thursday 15/09/2005

10 of us turned out for the meeting/quiz/social evening at The Old George Inn, Cloth Market, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1EE (see this map). After discussing official business, including future events, we took part in the quiz. Mike was quizmaster, preparing and asking veggie/vegan related questions. He also provided the prize. Gordon and Paul got equal top scores, but since neither of them are red wine drinkers, the red wine prize went to Emily.

Walk in Northumberland - Sunday 04/09/2005

6 of the group managed to make this event - including 4 vegans. The walk was circular, a distance 7 miles, and fairly hill-free. They started near Scot's Gap, west of Morpeth, in Northumberland. The weather was fantastic. We hope to have further details soon.

Walk from Whitburn - Sunday 28/08/2005

Some of our members arranged a walk amongst themselves. From Whitburn, they went up to Cleadon hills and the old windmill, then down to the beach at Whitburn. They had a great day out which involved lots of wildlife, local history and great conversation!

Whitburn Walk 1    Whitburn Walk 2    Whitburn Walk 3

Whitburn Walk 4    Whitburn Walk 5  Paul's photos of the day, including Mark and Brian posing for the camera

supported School Vegetarian Event - Thursday 14/07/2005

Several of our members supported a vegetarian event for parents and children at Whitburn Primary School. One of our members, Brian, who is also a teacher at the school is leading a highly innovative project on sustainability, and this event was part of this. He talked about the moral responsibility we have for the future of the planet and that we need to conserve energy and scarce resources for the future of the young people, and to stop cruelty to animals - and a vegetarian diet can contribute to this. Amy and Mike also gave presentations, and veggie food was brought along to share.
The turnout was good - with 40 plus attending, and each presentation was very well received. Several people have expressed an interest in becoming vegetarian and also joining the group / coming to meetings etc.
This was a really great enjoyable community event and we are so pleased that VegNE was invited to participate. Hopefully we can get involved in more of these events in the future.

Group Meeting - Saturday 09/07/2005

We held another meeting in almonds & raisins in Newcastle (see this map for location). Another good turn out. Some good decisions were reached.
We decided to have a September meeting at the The Old George Inn, Cloth Market, Newcastle, which will be a combined social evening with vegetarian sos and mash, plus a veggie quiz to be organised by Amy and Josie. Date towards the end of the month and may replace the advertised event.
We talked about the details for the veggie event at Whitburn Junior School, organised by one of our members and a teacher at the school, for parents and children in Whitburn. This is going to be great for the group and vegetarianism in the North East, as well as the local parents and children.
The possibility of other future events were discussed, such as attending freshers events at the local univiersities, another meal, walks, a cookery demonstration and a Christmas lunch!

Picnic with North Tyneside Vegan Group - Sunday 26/06/2005

7 of us met up with the North Tyneside Vegan Group for a joint picnic on the beach by the lighthouse in Whitley Bay. It was a really good event and we enjoyed a game of rounders too.

supported Viva! Roadshow - Saturday 25/06/2005

Viva! held an Incredible Veggie Roadshow in Newcastle at St James United Reform Church, Northumberland Road, Newcastle Upon Type.
The event was brilliant. We had never seen so many Newcastle veggies in one place and it just goes to show what can be achieved if the will to organise and participate is there. There were lots of stalls and VegNE got involved with several of our group members helping out - in the kitchen and on the stalls. Several people also enquired about our group.
See the Evening Chronicle article with details of the Viva! event. Fantastic photos of Amy publicising the event can also be seen at the Viva! website.

Group Meeting - Wednesday 15/06/2005

We had a meeting in The Old George Inn, Cloth Market, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1EE (see this map). We were allowed to meet in the upstairs room, which allowed us plenty of space and privacy. We arranged another meal for September, discussed future events, and also heard about an opportunity to get involved with healthy eating in schools. We also watched a DVD of the short film that a group of Teesside University students produced after filming Mike earlier in the year.

Vegetarian Week Stall - Saturday 28/05/2005

We held a stall at the Haymarket, Newcastle on the Saturday morning, to celebrate National Vegetarian Week. The Vegetarian Society generously provided us with various leaflets to hand out. We had a steady stream of people all morning. Some were vegetarians wanting recipe ideas, and other just wanted to find out more about moving towards a vegetarian diet. Fortunately it stayed dry, even if it was a little windy!
almonds & raisins kindly allowed us to share a display in their shop all week. Some of our members popped in during the week to check that all was OK, and that they were well stocked with leaflets.

National Vegetarian Week Stall  Our stall in Northumberland Street, Newcastle

National Vegetarian Week Display  The display in almonds & raisins, Newcastle

Tapas Meal - Wednesday 18/05/2005

A group meal was held at The Salsa Club (89 Westgate Rd, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 4AE). For location see this map. Although the menu wasn't 100% vegetarian about 50% of it is, which is pretty good going for a non-veggie place. Another good turnout - our meals seem to be our most popular events! It took us a while to work out the menu, as most of us weren't experienced tapas eaters. The majority of us enjoyed our meal, and those of us who shared our food had the best experience, as we were able to try a variety of dishes.

Tapas Meal 1    Tapas Meal 2    Tapas Meal 3  Enjoying our Tapas!

Group Meeting - Saturday 07/05/2005

A meeting was held in almonds & raisins in Newcastle (wholefood shop & vegetarian/vegan teashop). 12 of us turned up, along with 3 children too. As usual we enjoyed the beverages, and some of us the cakes on offer, and a few of us bought health food items while we were there.
Several people have agreed to approach shops etc. to put up our posters for National Vegetarian week. The licence has come through so that we can have our stall at the Haymarket on 28th May. We are still looking for suitable venues for our meetings, and several people are looking into a few places. We nominated a treasurer, as we now have our first funds for the group - from the Green Festival tombola. We plan to use this money for venues, for example we will need a suitable place for a cookery demonstation or visiting speaker, which we will probably have to pay for. When we have more funds we will make a contribution to the Vegetarian Society, for the leaflets etc. that they have sent to us.

Newcastle Green Festival - Saturday & Sunday 30/04/2005 - 01/05/2005

We held a stall at the Newcastle Green Festival in Leazes Park. The stall looked great, and some hard work was put in by a few in preparation for the event. We had a group of willing volunteers organising, looking after the stall and helping out over the two days. There was plenty of publicity material, information and recipes etc. to hand out from the Vegetarian Society, and we had a small tombola to raise funds. A few people also expressed an interest in being added to our mailing list.
We all had an opportunity to have a look around the rest of the festival too, see the other stalls, sample some veggie food from the stands, make a purchase from the many stalls, or take part in the many other activities on offer.

Green Festival Stall 1    Green Festival Stall 2  Green Festival 2005 stall

Group Meal - Friday 15/04/2005

A group meal was enjoyed at the vegetarian Sky Apple Café, Heaton Road, Heaton, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE6 5HP. For location see this map. Unfortunately all the places were quickly taken (well unfortunate if you wanted to go and didn't get in quick enough!), as we were limited in numbers. This was our second visit here, to one of the few veggie establishments in the area, and we weren't disappointed. The menu was totally different to last time, as they regularly change it - so if you are a regular there will always be something new to try. Those of us who enjoy a drink brought our own veggie wines, and we all enjoyed some delicious food.

A selection of some of the wonderful dishes served...
Spring Polenta Platter Halluoumi 'Burger' Passion Fruit Pavlova  
   Spring Polenta Platter       Halluoumi 'Burger'       Passion Fruit Pavlova                                                       
Plum Roly Poly BYO Wine  
   Plum Roly Poly       BYO Wine!!!      

Group Meeting - Saturday 09/04/2005

Another meeting was held in almonds & raisins (wholefood shop & vegetarian/vegan teashop) - for details of venue see below. We have put together a programme of events for the next few months - for further details see our events page. We are having a stall at both the Green Festival and for National Vegetarian Week, planning another meal, as well as the usual meetings.

Group Meeting - Saturday 12/03/2005

Our meeting was held at almonds & raisins (wholefood shop & vegetarian/vegan teashop), 2 Upper Princess Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ER. To see where this is have a look at this map. They allowed us to meet in the cafe early on, before they got too busy. We enjoyed a coffee/tea/hot chocolate during the meeting, and some of us indulged in the lovely vegetarian and vegan cakes they had to offer.
Mike informed us that we now have now have 53 people involved in our group! We also had a group of Teeside University media students unobtrusively filming as part of a project they are doing involving vegetarianism.
We discussed issues such as future meetings, the Green Festival, National Vegetarian Week, and arranging other events.

Also one of our members made us aware of a current GM food issue. If you have concerns about GM foods you can help support new laws to prevent GM contamination. Ask your MP to support new laws on GM contamination via the Friends of the Earth campaign.

Thai Meal - Friday 25/02/2005

We enjoyed a meal at the Numjai II Thai Restaurant, 33 Nexus House, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4AX. It has reasonable selection of vegetarian food. If you want know where it is see this map. Again we had a lovely meal, and a good turnout of 13 people.
We enjoyed dishes including Keang Phed Pak (Royal Thai Red Curry), Keang Khew Wan Pak (Green Curry), Tau Hoo Lad Prik (Deep fried bean curd topped with chili sauce) and Hed Num Dang (Stir-fried mushroom with chinese wine sauce), along with different rice dishes. Various ice-cream desserts were also enjoyed for afters.

photo of group meal    photo of group meal  VegNE members in Numjai II

Group Meeting - Tuesday 25/01/2005

A meeting was held in The Union Rooms pub, 48 Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 1JF (near central station) in the family room. The best turnout so far. The wheels have been set in motion for several future events, including a stall at Newcastle Community Green Festival and another group meal. The decision was also made to create this website!

Postponed Christmas Meal - Thursday 13/01/2005

A rather late Christmas group meal was held at the vegetarian Sky Apple Café, Heaton Road, Heaton, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE6 5HP - for location see map. A good turnout (11 members), lovely food, and a good time had by all. As one of the few vegetarian outlets in the area it is likely to be a regular venue for meals out.
We enjoyed veggie delights such as a parsnip soup of the day, carrot coconut and lime leaf timbale, beetroot and red wine risotto and portobello mushroom frangipane, for starters and black bean vegetables, artichoke and fennel ragout, sweet potato and olive dumplings for the main meal. Spiced bread pudding, steamy and white chocolate heaven and expresso torta provided the desserts. Definitely worth returning to!

Group Meeting - Thursday 25/11/2004

The inaugural meeting of VegNE, was held in room 6 at the Brunswick Methodist Church Rooms, Brunswick Place (off Northumberland Street), Newcastle.