Viva!’s 30th Anniversary Awards

Every five years, Viva! makes its prestigious Action for Animals awards and Excellence and Innovation awards a part of our milestone celebrations. They are decided by votes from our supporters, our dedicated staff and founder.

In honour of our 30th anniversary, 12 awards were presented at a special fundraising event held on the Elizabethan boat on the River Thames on 21 September 2024. The awards ceremony, hosted by Juliet Gellatley and our Patron Peter Egan, celebrated the achievements of our incredible winners.

Further awards were published in Viva!’s much-loved Viva!life magazine.

Best Vegan Consumer Magazine

Vegan Food & Living

The magazine offers expert guidance on food, health, beauty and ethics and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. With 22k print run, 318k monthly webpage views and 500k social media followers, it inspires and supports people on their vegan journey.

Right: Editor Holly Johnson accepts the award for Vegan Food & Living

Best Vegan Pub

The Queen Inn

This family-run establishment in Cwmbran, South Wales, redefined vegan dining as the world’s first plant-based steakhouse, with a menu driven by a passion for cruelty-free cuisine.

Best Vegan Chef

Liam Penn

Michelin-trained, Liam creates exquisite fine-dining tasting menus, transforming locally foraged ingredients into extraordinary dishes. His Secret Garden menu at Viva!’s 30th anniversary dinner was a show-stopping example.

Best Vegan Toffee

Jeavons

Corin and Lesley Jeavons launched their small, family company after perfecting vegan toffee in their tiny Brighton kitchen. They started with Smootch, a vegan alternative to Rolo, and soon expanded to a whole range of bars, incredibly popular with Viva! supporters. They don’t just make vegan toffee; they make the BEST toffee!

Best Vegan PR Company

Mad Promotions

Karin Ridgers of Mad Promotions supports vegan businesses with passion and professionalism. Her dedication and effective PR have made her a favourite across the vegan industry, as her client testimonials verify. No one has more enthusiasm than Karin.

Best Vegan News Outlet

Plant Based News

Plant Based News has elevated plant-based living by empowering people to make informed choices for health, the planet and animals. With 742k Facebook and 1.3m Instagram followers, their team of award-winning journalists makes veganism central to sustainability.

Left: Editor Polly Foreman accepts the award for Plant Based News

Vegan Environmental Award

Randal Plunkett, Lord Dunsany

Randal is at the forefront of V-Wilding, transforming 750 acres of his Dunsany estate in Ireland through vegan rewilding without killing anything. His work in bringing land back to life is truly pioneering – for animals and the environment.

Outstanding Investigations Exposing Factory Farming

Lex Rigby

Lex has conducted numerous undercover investigations that have led to widespread national media coverage, in some cases resulting in farm closures. Her extraordinary courage and perserverance brought Hogwood to public prominence, provided the raw material for our Netflix documentary and resulted in Tesco dropping the farm.

Action for Animals Award

Simone Roper

Simone is a key member of the Bath Outreach team, having attended almost every event over the past four years. She supports outreach initiatives, assists at major events and helps new volunteers learn the ropes.

Outstanding Loyalty & Commitment as a Business Partner

VBites – Heather Mills

Heather Mills has not only played a major part in the vegan food revolution, she has also been a patron of Viva! for 19 years. From being filmed in pig farms to donating performance fees to Viva!, Heather has contributed immensely to the vegan revolution, not least through her pioneering company VBites but also with her new addition, Alternative Stores.

Action for Animals Awards

Martin Barlow

For more than four years, Martin has been a hugely valued member of the outreach team, from the early days in Bristol to the regular events in Bath, consistently helping to grow our local outreach efforts, developing a strong approach to public engagement and creating a welcoming environment for new volunteers.

Paul Youd

Viva! supporter and fundraiser Paul refuses to allow his 87 years to slow him down and his running feats include multiple Ultra Challenges in the name of Viva!, raising over £5,000 so far.

Wendy Turner Webster

A long-time patron of Viva!, Wendy has recently increased her commitment, joining investigations at pig farms to expose their appalling conditions and supporting multiple campaign launches. Her dedication and passion make her a true Viva! champion for animals.

Awards for Excellence and Dedication

Tony Wardle

Tony has been central to Viva! since its founding, contributing as a brilliant writer, scriptwriter, producer and director. His work, including Hogwood: a modern horror story, reached millions and was aired on Netflix. Tony’s creativity and dedication have made Viva!life magazine a favourite among our supporters.

Laura Hellwig

Laura began with Viva! in 2017 and quickly rose through the ranks to become managing director. She has been an integral part of our investigations, planned multiple campaigns and helped evolve Viva! into what it is today. Laura’s growth, talents, dedication and achievements are remarkable.

Dr Justine Butler

As Viva!’s head of research, Justine has grown into being a world expert on vegan health and nutrition and has brilliantly researched and written for innumerable campaigns and scientific reports.

Laura Turner

Viva!’s office manager, Laura, is dedicated and passionate and has calmly ensured our supporters and the public have been helped for 19 years, working alongside her deputy…

Beata Rzepecka Wilk

…who has been at Viva! since 2013 and is extremely talented and hardworking.

Complete list of Awards for Excellence and Innovation

We are thrilled to present our Awards for Excellence and Innovation to so many outstanding individuals and businesses working tirelessly to promote veganism.

We have joint winners for Best Hotel for Vegans: Beck Hall in Skipton and Agrivilla I Pini in Tuscany, Italy, have both been recognised for offering perfect plant-based getaways. Grubby took home the award for Best Vegan Recipe Kit, making home-cooked vegan meals easy and delicious; Ecotricity was celebrated as the Best Green Energy Company, leading the way in sustainable energy; and Earthling Ed continues to make waves as the Best Vegan Influencer, inspiring countless people to adopt a compassionate lifestyle.

Best Places to Eat and Sleep

Best Vegan Fine Dining Restaurant: Gauthier, Soho, London

Best Vegan Casual Dining Restaurant: Suissi Vegan Kitchen, Glasgow

Best Chain Restaurant for Vegans: wagamama

Best Hotel for Vegans: Agrivilla I Pini, Tuscany, Italy & Beck Hall, Skipton

Best B&B For Vegans: The Base Vegan Retreat Animal Sanctuary, Bristol

Best Vegan Pub: The Queen Inn, Cwmbran

Best Vegan Chef: Liam Penn

Best Vegan Food

Best New Vegan Product (2023/2024): THIS ISN’T CHICKEN THIGHS

Best Plant-based Meat Range: THIS

Best Vegan Meat Product: Squeaky Bean Chorizo

Best Vegan Sausage: THIS ISN’T PORK SAUSAGES

Best Vegan Burger: Beyond Burger

Best Vegan Pie: Magpye

Best Vegan Pizza: Pizza Express

Best Vegan Dessert (non-ice cream): Gü Zillionaire Cheesecake

Best Vegan Ice Cream: Swedish Glace and Little Moons

Best Vegan Milk: Oatly

Best Vegan Chocolate Range: Rhythm 108

Best Vegan Chocolate Product: Love Raw Nutty Choc Balls & Vego Whole Hazelnut Chocolate Bar

Best Vegan Cheese: Cathedral City Plant Based Mature

Best Artisan Vegan Cheese: La Fauxmagerie Shoreditch Smoked

Best Vegan Cake Range: BOSH & Oggs

Best Vegan Toffee: Jeavons

Best Vegan Pâté: VBites Brussels Style

Best Vegan Health Food Range: Deliciously Ella

Best Vegan Recipe Kit: Grubby

Best Vegan Snack Bar: Nakd

Best Vegan Pet Food Product: Oven Baked Crunchy Feast

Best Vegan Pet Food: Hownd

Best Vegan Lifestyle Products

Best Vegan Toiletries: Faith in Nature

Best Vegan Cosmetics Range: e.l.f. Cosmetics

Best Vegan Eye Shadow: Be At One

Best Vegan Perfume Range: Floral Street

Best Vegan Shoe Collection: Vivo Barefoot

Best Vegan Fashion Brand: Matt and Nat

Best Green Energy Company: Ecotricity

Best Vegan Media

Best Vegan News Outlet: Plant Based News

Best Vegan Consumer Magazine: Vegan Food & Living

Best Vegan PR Company: Mad Promotions

Best Vegan Influencer: Earthling Ed

Best Journalist for Promoting Veganism: Lauren Beavis, SWNS

Best Vegan Filmmakers: Kip Anderson & Kameron Waters

Best Vegan Documentary: Pignorant

Outstanding Loyalty & Commitment as a Business Partner: VBites – Heather Mills & Ecotricity

Congratulations once again to all our winners! Your contributions are paving the way for a kinder, more sustainable world.