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FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 1
FRIENDS’
GAZETTEY O U R V I T A L A L T E R N A T I V E
ISSN: 2053-4426
VEGAN BOSS PRAISES FG
THE BOSS of one of the UK’s b iggest vegg ie festivals and founder of a ve g a n c o m p a n y h a s praised FG for its ‘unique’ take on vegetarianism which is ‘filling a gap in the market’.
Thousands of vegans, vegetarians and health freaks are set to descend on Olympia in London next month for VegfestUK 2014.
Organiser Tim Barford who is also the founder of hemp company Yaoh, told FG editor Stephen Ward: “I really enjoy reading your magazine. I was particularly interested in the article about the Jewish rabbi turning vegan. (Top US rabbi goes vegan - FG June ’14)
“Your articles look at moral reasons for being vegetarian or vegan which is a very interesting mix and unique.
“There is a gap in the market for that and you are definitely filling it.”
FG started in April 2013 and has run stories on everything from a veggie birthday lunch in a west London restaurant to articles about the trial of vegan protestors at an arms fair (Not Guilty - FG February 2014) and pioneering work on an egg-replacer (Beyond Eggs-citing - FG July 2013).
A lead story a b o u t t h e cancellation of a l a r g e spiritual sect m e e t i n g (Guru ’s v i s i t cancelled - FG Nov 2014) got m o r e t h a n 2,000 internet h i t s a l o n e worldwide.
O n - l i n e readers can c a t chup on back copies at any time on s c r i b d . c o m and download them at their convenience.
These numbers are on top of the email recipient list which is set to break the 500 mark next month.
Over the months FG has faced criticism as articles have reported facts head-on and the editorial team stood firm recently in the face of a request to censor coverage.
Ward said: “FG is an independent journalistic enterprise and is not aligned with any organisation or body.
“This allows us to cover stories without fear or favour and always in the interests of our readers, the
ordinary members of the public, so easily overlooked by big organisations.
“We are officially registered as a publication by the British Library and have checks and balances in place to a l l o w f o r c o r r e c t i o n s a n d clarifications to our stories.
“We will never bow to outside pressure to censor our articles which is how a publication builds trust and respect among readers.
“Praise from Tim is very welcome. We are being thanked on a daily basis by our rapidly growing readership. (see Friendly Feedback p5).
‘Looking at moral reasons for being vegetarian or vegan is unique and fills a gap in the market’
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 2
NEWS
“We run stories, features and competitions which capture the imagination and are extremely popular. No case for vegetarianism and veganism is more powerful than the moral one.”
Barford (pictured opposite) set up VegfestUK back in 2003, “just for the craic”.
In an interview on the A Vegan Obsession blog Tim said: “The vegan thing was obviously a lot smaller then so it seemed a really good idea to get it all in one place and then throw a big party around it and invite everyone to come. It’s worked a treat. Loads of people have taken their first steps towards a veggie, flexi or vegan lifestyle by coming to one of our events.
“The first show was in Bristol at The Watershed on November 1st 2003 – we had 40 stalls, and around 1,200 visitors, plus about 300 more in the bar next door!
“We had a room for live music and some demos, and also a talks room and it went from there.
“The first few years the show grew, but not dramatically. We moved to the ‘L’ shed in 2004 and the show grew to 80 stalls and around 4,000 visitors which was amazing. 2005 and 2006 continued at The ‘L’ Shed with similar numbers and then in 2007 the ‘L’ Shed shut and we moved over the river to our current home, The
Amphitheatre. This gave us room to expand as it was all outdoors, and we now have a regular 140 stalls and around 20 – 25,000 visitors over the three days. It’s wonderful.
“Brighton has expanded too, with 135 stalls and 7,000 visitors since its launch five years ago.”
“Lots of other shows including the West Midlands and the North East Vegan Festivals have taken inspiration from our shows and gone off and started their own, which is really amazing.
“And a lot of people have started eating more vegan food after coming to our events – hundreds of thousands of people.
“And with our media and PR presence growing every year, we are reaching more and more people through a lot of different channels.
“My vision for future events is that every food festival in the world is a vegan festival.
“Might seem a long way off but that is what I am working towards.
“Meanwhile we’ll keep what we are doing and keep it interesting and going, it’s got its own energy now, the vegan
thing, its growing of its own accord because now so many people are on this trip. It’s for real.”
Yaoh is based in Bristol UK and is primarily a hemp company, with a range of hemp body care and food products. FG will be at Olympia on 27/28th September. Come and meet us or check in for Steve’s cookery demo on the Sunday.
FG NEWS! 23 JUNE 2014
I need you there beside me, no matter what I do. For I know I’ll never find another you. The Seekers! 1
FRIENDS’
GAZETTEY O U R V I T A L A L T E R N A T I V E
ISSN: 2053-4426
TOP US RABBI GOES VEGANA P R O M I N E N T Je wish ra bb i has ‘come out’ as vegan a f t e r f e e l i n g “embarrassment and shame” over some kosher practices.
The controversial move comes as an abattoir in America catering for the kosher market, which is supposed to be a humane way of killing, was suspended for its inhumane handling of baby calves.
An undercover investigation found that sick and injured calves were being forced into the slaughter halls instead of being euthanased according to US Department of Agriculture rules.
Breaking ranks with traditional Judaism, Shmuly Yanklowitz, the founder and CEO of the Shamayim V’Aretz Institute and ‘one of the top 50 rabbis in America’ said this month: “The fact that the modern reality of industrial food production extends into kosher facilities - which are supposed to be held to the highest ethical standards of treatment - brings me embarrassment and shame as an Orthodox rabbi and as a Jew.
“I cannot pretend any more that kosher meat, poultry and dairy is any
healthier or ethical than non-kosher food.”
The rabbi’s move is not unusual among religious preachers of various disciplines.
As reported in Friends’ Gazette last year Daniel Woodhouse, a Methodist minister, gave up eating meat after he realised that killing animals for food could not be justified on grounds of cruelty and the environment.
He told Friends’ Gazette last April: “Maybe it’s something Methodists need to think about. There are a lot more people out there like me.
“We are screwing up the world and it is not God’s will in my opinion.”
Hindus, Buddhists and even some Mohammedans have been sensitive to animal cruelty for centuries.
Hindu brahmins, the religion’s priestly class, are lacto-vegetarians refraining from fish, flesh, fowl or eggs. Writing in The Wall Street Journal Rabbi Ya n k l o w i t z s a y s : “Kosher meat l i ke kosher food in general, b r i n g s m a n y J e w s feelings of comfort and security, based on its mandatory rabbinic supervision and its spiritual link with Jewish
heritage.“As I learned about the reality of
industrial kosher slaughter, however, I began to realise how far current practice of animal treatment and slaughter are from the traditional ethical values.”
“As that reality sank in I concluded that I would need to forgo the consumption of meat.”
“Despite all these sad realities I still keep kosher by eating a healthy, kosher-certified, plant-based diet.
“I am committed to Jewish law in general and kashrut [Jewish dietary law] in particular as a means of bringing ethical and spiritual consciousness to food consumption.” !See “What the good books say” p.14
‘Shame and embarrassment’ over kosher killing makes Jewish teacher give up meat
Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz
VegfestUK, London Olympia, 2013
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 3
A PROMINENT French academic has called for a controversial law to be ‘abandoned’ because it is a form of right wing nationalism.
Voisins vigilants asks vigilant neighbours to form a group in a bid to prevent crime.
They should be ‘alert to unusual facts’. And “when they are aware of a fact the members . . . can alert the mayor or gendarmerie (local police).”
“Anglo-Saxon countries” with their neighbourhood watch schemes are quoted as examples of success, especially the US.
Asked whether she would like to see the initiative scrapped, Professor of American History, Nelcia Delanoë, told FG: “Of course. Definitely.
“There are allusions to foreigners and to people who are disturbed.
“It so happens that many of these people are just like you and me.
“And I don’t like the distinction between non-white and white.
“That’s basically what it refers to. “The Arabs. The Romanies. The
Arabs are just French people who were born here.
“It is a new form of expelling so-called foreigners. It’s right wing nationalism. There are problems. So it’s easy to rub it in.”
French lawyer, Genevieve Kouby
has also hit out at the scheme saying it cal ls for “denunciation” of neighbour on neighbour which can be done anonymously.
Authorit ies c la im the move introduced in 2011 has achieved a significant reduction in crime rates.
Claude Guéant, then minister of the interior, said: “The majority of feedback shows a significant drop in crime of ownership in areas where the system was implemented. Some
municipalities have declined by 20% to 40% of burglaries recorded.”
But the claim is hotly disputed by Delanoë: “The statistics have never been tested or verified. Claims that house burglary has diminished? There is no source for the figures.
“We don’t know where they come from. Though it comes from the mayor we don’t know whether it is supported by other institutions in the region. It is not clear.”
Call to scrap French voisin vigilant scheme
ISRAELI prime minister, Netanyahu, a vegan and vegetarian supporter, is an all round loser in the recent Gaza conflict, an FG reader has declared.
As the seven week war seems to be drawing to a close David Itkin, who lives in Aix-en-Provence in southern France, said: “Netanyahu can’t win whatever he does. The Israelis blame him for not clearing away the Palestinian threat and the world blames him for civilian loss of life in Gaza. He’s an all round loser.”
As reported in ‘Nice Veggie Boy’ in the FG March 2014 edition, Bibi recently revealed he and his wife Sara ‘hardly eat meat’. “Animals are more conscious than we thought,” he is reported to have opined.
The truce which began on Tuesday ended seven weeks of fighting leaving more than 2,200 people, mostly Palestinians, dead.
As part of the deal, brokered by Egypt, Israel is to ease its blockade of Gaza and talks on disarming Palestinian militant groups will begin in Cairo.
Netanyahu is ‘all round loser’
Lack of accountability could put innocent people at the mercy of nosey neighbours with a grudge
Professor Nelcia Delanoë speaks with FG at a cafe in Villeneuve les Avignon
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 4
AS A MALAYSIAN woman I am proud to play a part to deliver Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Assigned to Hampden Park, the athletics competition venue and the stage for the closing ceremony, I was responsible for arrival and departure of athletes, technical officials and members of the press.
Given this role, I had the opportunity to greet my home country team’s arrival and personally give the Malaysian team my best wishes before they competed.
The heartwarming feeling I got when I greeted them in my home country language was a nice surprise.
Working with the Scottish volunteers and staff, who I was supposed to manage and, at the same time, ensure they had a great games experience, was a challenge, to say the least.
The Scots accent was a bit of a barrier and the attitude of ‘I know better because I am local’ could drive me nuts on some occasions.
But as the saying goes, you have to go through a ton of stones to find a gem and I found plenty. They made me laugh and overwhelmed me with their comforting words at difficult moments.
One of them even learnt to greet me in my home language just to cheer me up!
As one of the paid workforce in Olympic London 2012, I thought I was well trained for another, smaller scale, international games like Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
What I never thought was that in Glasgow 2014, the pre-games training was all so general.
When it then came to the real games time the experience, and scenarios I had to deal with were nothing like the pre-games training!
Lucky for me I had many years of event management experience back home to help me react to situations spon-taneously, thinking quickly on my feet to find answers.
Having chatted with so many athletes, technical official and press members during the games time, I got to know that
not all international participants in the games can tolerate Scottish food and beverages like haggis and Irn-Bru.
Apparently, most athletes have their home country chef team on board with them to prepare their everyday meals! What a surprise!
Among the most amazing moments in my Commonwealth Games time as part of the Glasgow 2014 workforce was the once-in-a-lifetime close proximity with Usain Bolt and Prince William.
I cannot believe that I actually saw them just right in front of my eyes!
Prince William was driving by in front of me and smiling at me while I waved his black private limousine to go through the traffic.
As for Usain Bolt, I tried to tell his driver that they were not supposed to stop at the load zone where buses stopped, when Usain and his coach suddenly got out of the car and marched right past me!
I was surprised that here was the great Bolt but not happy that my instruction had been completely ignored.
Happiest moments for me were when friendly Malaysian athletes cooperated with me when I directed them, again in my home country language, during the departure crowd control at buses load zone. They did what I asked!
Overall, I enjoyed my Commonwealth Games experience in Glasgow 2014.
I happily cheered for the Malaysian Team which went home with six gold, seven sliver and six bronze medals.
Also very thankful for the years of events organising experience back home in Malaysia which equipped me to react in difficult decision-making scenarios in delivering these games. Glaswegians say: ‘People make Glasgow, I say Malaysians make me deliver such a great games!’
A special note here to show my appreciation to the games opening ceremony's minutes of silence for the MH17 disaster. It makes me even prouder and overwhelmed to be part of the games. Thank you Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014!
You have given me invaluable memories and friendships to cherish forever!
Proud to be part of the CommonwealthTHE SCOTS make Glasgow; Malaysia makes me deliver the games! That’s the message from Maggy Ng, one of the games workforce and an FG reader at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow which closed this month.
Can we help you? . . . (l-r) Helen Sturrock, Maggy Ng, Melanie Mckendrick and Hayley Doherty at the Commonwealth Games
FEATURE
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 5
FRIENDLYCOMMENT
Pointing the finger!THE EXAMPLES are legion . . .
From the witches of Salem through to the Jews of Nazi Europe.
All it takes is an outstretched arm, a pointed finger and the denunciation is done! (top story p3)
The witch is dead! The Jew rounded up. It’s difficult to speak up for human rights.
Easier, by far, to go with the crowd. Easier to scream ‘crucify him’! Than to ask for Barabbas.
Beware mendacity hidden behind the vocal ‘majority’!
Dangerous mix SO ANOTHER government is claiming to speak for religious groups, secularism having become yesterday’s game in modern India.
Yet we all know what happens when religion and politics align.
It is a dangerous mix; often leading to isolationism, nationalism, intolerance and even state-sponsored violence.
Ironically, everything any self-respecting religion or spiritual group should abhor? (top story p7)
Ooh la la!FRIENDS’ Gazette is looking to expand its coverage to the European mainland.
The i-mag has already run articles on politics, food and green transport in French.
Talks are underway to build on this with a base in the country and more articles on European and French topics. Watch this space!
ISSN: 2053-4426
Published by Stephen Ward Publications, London, England.
YOUR article last time by Sophie Shao asked for feedback on the honey issue (Honey, are you really a vegan? - FG July 2014).
I’ve been a vegan for about two years now.
I started by kicking all animal products including milk but I still wear leather shoes and eat honey and use palm oil.
However, going into things a bit more I am thinking about giving up these items.
Your article was very helpful.Thank you.
Dennis SheilCambridge
IT’S OFTEN difficult to know where to draw the line when it comes to acting out of conscience, or eating out of conscience for that matter.
That’s why I was interested to read your article about honey and why it may be unethical to eat or drink it.
I’m not convinced. If compassion is what drives you then it is the actual killing of animals where the violence begins and, I would say, ends.
Meat is murder! Not - meat is cruel! So I will continue to use honey and milk knowing that I am still true to my non-killing principals.
I’d like to take this opportunity of thanking your writer Sophie Shao for a very helpful article.
More please! Tony BridgemanNorwich
IT REALLY is a difficult one.Basically being a question of ‘where do you draw the line?’.
I think in these modern times when things are changing so rapidly something which was acceptable one week becomes unacceptable the next.
There is no doubt that factory farming is cruel.
You’ve got battery farming of milk producing cows.
And poultry have long been known to be kept in extremely inhumane conditions.
But is that a reason for not eating the products produced by this kind of farming?
It’s a matter of individual conscience, surely. Delia PearsHampstead
DOES anything ever change?Does a boycott of anything,
whether it’s milk or eggs, or clothes made with child labour ever really make a difference?
I doubt it.What’s the use of not eating or
wearing various foods or items when producers go merrily on switching markets or boosting their advertising to continue making huge profits.
It will take an absolute age to have any commercial effect, if any.
Sorry to be so negative. Rachel FieldingLondon
COMMENT
GOT an idea for a story or think you can write for us? Then pop into the VegfestUK in London next month (see advert p. 8).
We will be on the first floor ready to get to know you. On Sunday you could also learn a thing or two about whipping up a tasty anglo-Indian snack when editor Steve will be giving a live cooking demo.
There’ll be a free first-cum-first-served tasting afterwards.
MEET THE FG TEAMand pick up a tasty snack while you’re at it
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 6
NEWS
Mars choccy drinks in food poison scareCompany pulls drinks as Food Standards Agency issues contamination warning
A M A R S a d a y helps you work rest and play!
Only these days you could be doing a lot of resting - because you might be recovering from food poisoning.
Latest developments at the f a m o u s S l o u g h - b a s e d chocolate company have thrown doubt on its old advert - for those who can still remember it.
But it’d be no joke if you gulped down one of their choccy drinks (pictured above) for you could end up with a very nasty tummy.
The company has pulled a range of products from supermarket shelves in the wake of the discovery.
Affected products are:Sports-cap bottles• Mars Milk (350ml, 376ml)
• Starburst Strawberry Drink (350ml)• Bounty Drink (350ml)• Snickers Shake (350ml, 376ml)• Skittles Wildberry (376ml)• Galaxy Smooth Milk (350ml, 376 ml)• Milky Way Milk (350ml)• Mars Caramel Milk (350ml• Skittles Fruits (350ml, 376ml)
750ml 'fridge pack' bottles•Mars Milk•Galaxy Smooth Milk•Skittles Fruits Product recall notices are being displayed in stores supplied by the company, advising consumers of the situation and what they can do if they have bought the affected product. In an official statement the FSA says: “Mars Chocolate Drinks is recalling branded bottles of sports-cap drinks and 750ml milk drink products
with ‘best before’ dates between and including 19 December 2014 and 11 April 2015.
“This is because they contain a type of the bacteria known as bacillus, which can cause food poisoning.
“This means the products are a possible health risk to consumers."
No other Mars Chocolate UK pro-ducts are known to be affected.
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FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 7
with Deborah, FHT and VTCT Dip. Qualified & Insured
mob: 07841203166tel: 020 7 242 6665
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PUNJABI ashrams, known as deras, may have avoided having to fork out thousands of rupees in compensation to farmers whose land they bought in their followers’ names.
The narrow escape comes as the nationalist BJP party, which swept to power in this year’s Indian general election, has suspended the Land Ceiling Act which would have looked at returning “benami” land to its original owners, usually poor farmers.
It is claimed these deras have about 10,000 acres bought in the name of their followers.
Among the buy-ups affected are:• a monastery bought by the Karmapa sect of Tibetans in the Trilokpur area of Himachal • land bought by the Ram Rahim trust on the Kangra-Palampur road• tea gardens bought by the Radha Soami (RSSB) sect in Kangra district.Villagers said the RSSB sect had
changed the nature of the tea gardens by levelling the land with dynamite blasts for its Paror centre.
The pro-Hindu BJP party ousted the more socialist-minded Congress party in the April/May poll.
Although strictly Hindu, the BJP led
by Narendra Modi (see pic) also looks favorably on Sikhism and its off shoots whereas the Congress Party, lead by Rahul Ghandi, is avowedly secular.
The Congress Party government had included returning benami land to its original owners or compensating them in its election manifesto.
But it lost 162 seats in the election handing the BJB a majority of 166.
It is the first time a party has won enough votes to govern without the support of minor parties.
Acting from this unprecedented posit ion of strength the new government moved to exempt the religious deras from the Land Ceiling Act and regularise all benami land transactions, the Indian press reports.
It has also decreed that the Punjabi governmen t deve lop p l anned industrial areas or IT parks in order to compensate for any lost jobs as a result of the benami move.
Deras slip land rights nooseNEWS
F O L LO W E R S o f t h e Radha Soami Beas group, met in Paris this month as hopes for a centre in the country grew.
The impromptu meeting was called by leader Gurinder Singh. The group is headquartered in Beas, India where Mr Singh usually resides.
He revealed at a gathering in the UK two years ago that sites in or around the French capital were being ‘looked at’.
The group which advocates a strict vegetarian diet and daily meditation has established more than 30 Science of the Soul study centres worldwide including Amsterdam and Frankfurt and three in the UK.
Any centre in Paris would have to surmount France’s strict laws limiting the activities of religious sects.
Government funding might also be more difficult to access.
Paris visit sparks new centre hopes
Narendra Modi
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 8
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 9
Get away to bonnie Scotland!
Rennaldburnself-catering farmhouse
Rennaldburn is a 17th century farmhouse which sleeps seven to eight.
We also rent individual rooms ~ and can provide a veggie or vegan breakfast if
requested the previous day.
We are Buddhists and revere all life - so we do not take hunters or anglers.
Best rates. Reductions for FG readers.Find us on: www.gonebeyond.co.uk
Eskdalemuir, Langholm. Tel: 01387 373277
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 10
AFTER months of hard work an inspiring teaser for a movie-with-a-message is available on-line for film fanatics to lap up - and hopefully contribute to the end product (writes Stephen Ward).
The intriguing plot sees a gangster meet a fiery end, a gunfight in a London nightclub and a dramatic car chase through the streets of Chelsea.
Along the way there are rooftop scenes shot against the capital’s iconic skyline and another in a swish London flat.
The sweeping Norfolk coastline provides the dramatic backdrop for another ominous setting where two enigmatic characters plot their next dastardly move.
Dozens of talented actors auditioned for the challenging parts and some roles drew the help of well know stars like Martin Shaw, Jay Simpson and Dominic Tighe.
Director and author of Nothing and Everywhere, Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon, (pictured right) around whose book the film is based and named said: “It was a lot of hard work but ultimately I think I’m right in saying, enjoyable for everyone involved.
“One of the hardest parts to cast was that of Susie Bellavista.
“I had a specific face and personality in mind.
“In the end we found her in Jennifer
Bryer, who brought my character to life.“The film highlights the catastrophe that can occur
when scientific discoveries fall into the wrong hands.“This is an ever-present danger and something the
public and governments should be aware of.“We’ve already had the invaluable help of dozens of
people both in front and behind the camera and I sincerely hope our little teaser now grabs the attention of the general public and this important movie becomes a reality which it richly deserves to do.”
To watch the teaser click hereDonations can be made through Gordon Films
NEWS FEATURE!
The final countdownArmageddon could be round the corner unless the world WAKES UP!
Shifting sands . . . Lesmoir-Gordon filming on a Norfolk beach
The big smoke . . . a hapless victim is about to meet a grisly end
FEATURE! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 11
IF YOU like antiques and objects d’art from a bygone age but would rather not hark back to King this or Queen that, or wade through lord and lady hoo-haa’s cast offs then a French brocante may be the place for you.
Held regularly up and down the country brocante is French for flee market or car boot sale. But here you’ll find some of Europe’s best artifacts for sale, made by the people, for the people.
The weekly brocante at Villeneuve- les-Avignon is among the best known in the country and draws a canny, international crowd.
Set in a car park on the outskirts of the medieval jewel that is Villeneuve this market provides everything from vintage furniture, through jewellery to clothes and even tailors dummies all going for a song-in-the-sun.
Paula from Italy, a regular visitor, and a dealer knows exactly what she’s after. “I’m looking for angels," she says. “I used to have a shop but now I sell to my contacts.
“Angels are always very popular. I find they sell very well.”
Margaret and Bernard King are from Essex in the UK. They are new to the place. “We usually go to Italy but we’re giving France another go,” says Margaret. She reckons the brocante is “on a par” with antique markets at home.
Denis and Sylvie Boelle have driven over from Zurich. They used to live in Villeneuve but moved to Switzer-land because of Denis’ job. Eoitar Amar is a brocante stall holder. It’s is his full time job. He’s been coming to Villeneuve for more than 20 years. His pitch is at the village end near the Credit Agricole bank. He won’t say how much he hopes to make in a day.
Shopping for angelsTHEY say France has a tradition of flea markets or ‘brocantes’ which draw bargain hunters from across the globe searching out items which can’t be found elsewhere. But how true is this? What’s for sale and who goes? Steve Ward investigates.
The brocante at Villneuve-les-Avignon in the Gard district of Provence is held every Saturday.
FEATURE! 28 AUGUST 2014
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“I find my goods when people re-sell their homes or when they re-decorate from time to time,” he says.
He reckons Villeneuve is the best brocante in the region.
“It is good quality, it is original, the goods on display are good quality, there is a good turn over of items with new stuff coming in all the time and it draws a diverse crowd from all over the world.
“People come from America, Sweden, Holland, Australia,” he says.
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INDIAN VEG
Sandra Seifert, Miss Philippines Earth, 2009
Bedecked and bejewelled, Paula from Italy is on the hunt for angels (top left) . . .
On a par . . . Margaret and Bernard King from the UK feel they can get just as good at home (left).
Swiss couple Denis and Sylvie Boelle get to know ‘le grand chien vert’ a little better . . . (top right).
Iconic shop models for Christian Dior in red and black adorn the floor of the brocante (previous page).
FEATURE! 28 AUGUST 2014
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And the best item on his stall this week? He points to a pair of copper-like vases embossed with flamboyant knights in armour wearing large feathered hats. “Les deux Cavaliers,” he proclaims - of course!
For Jean Paul Didier the Villeneuve brocante is a great place.
He has been coming for more than 15 years. It proves its worth because it draws serious French designers and collectors rather than sightseers and tourists. These come from Picardy, Lyonnaise and Paris.
As an afterthought he adds that many customers also come from
Friends’ Gazette is looking for an
ADVERTISING ASSISTANTSfor its monthly email news magazine
ad sales experience essentialwork from home
right package for the right personemail: [email protected]
with a covering letter and full cv
The stalls offer all kinds of vintage items for sale at prices to make your mouth water.
FG NEWS! 28 AUGUST 2014
When they ask you why you’re vegetarian tell them you don’t agree with killing - Charan Singh" 14
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONSIs an article wrong or unclear?
Get your specs out and tell us about itFriends’ Gazette
is keen to keep stories fair, balanced and accurateemail: [email protected] put ‘c&c’ in the subject areaThanks - from us and our readers!
Italy, England and even as far away as America.
Both dealers warn that bargain hunters should beware com-mercial outlets calling themselves ‘brocantes’ which are really shops by any other name.
They can be found in the high street, usually in the artistic or tourist quarters of many French towns and villages.
Goods here have been harvested at proper brocantes and a massive mark-up of
Make me an offer . . . dealers
Eoitar Amar (top) and Jean
Paul Didier (right) have
been coming to Villeneuve for
more than 35 years between them attracted by the quality
of the punters . . .
One of Eoitar’s Cavalier vases
( left) . . . Paula’s angels
in their original setting on a brocante stall - pictured
top left.
anything up to 100 per cent has been added to make a quick profit.
Phot
ogra
phy E
lain
e Lip
kin
