Denise Morgan is an up and coming singer/songwriter who has worked with prestigious names including Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews on BBC1's 'The Voice UK'. Denise's other passion is veganism. Having cut out meat and then dairy, Denise wondered if her son Gabriel could go vegan too. However she lacked a support-network for herself and Gabriel, and was unsure how to progress. Then she performed at VegfestUK last year, which changed her life around, giving her and Gabriel everything they needed, and even helping to improve her singing too!…
Denise Morgan is 32 from Manchester. She has been vegetarian since she was 8 and cut out diary when she was 21. She has a partner, Mark, and has a one year old son, Gabriel. Denise works for an internet company, writing text for web pages and works as a singer/songwriter by night. Her style is a unique blend of Celtic soul, jazz and sultry acoustic. Denise has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Tom Jones on BBC One's The Voice UK this year and Cerys Matthews. She has also supported Amy MacDonald, Ben's Brother and Kathryn Williams.
Denise explains her journey to veganism: "When I was eight, someone handed me a leaflet about the dairy and veal industry and I made a correlation to what I was eating at the time. I thought, 'That's not happening'. My parents weren't happy, especially as they're both from farming backgrounds! They thought I would die if I went vegetarian! But I managed it fine and I made sure I got everything I needed to keep me healthy. Then when I was 21 I started questioning myself and my conscience more. I found out about the cruelty involved in the dairy and egg industry, so I had to cut this out of my diet. It just meant learning a bit more about the wide variety of foods you can have to ensure you're getting everything you need and this is where VegfestUK has really helped me, especially after Gabriel was born…"
"I heard about VegfestUK a few years ago, when I came across a listing for it in a newspaper. I'm always on the lookout for interesting vegan events to go to and this one really caught my eye. It seemed to have everything! And I wasn't disappointed when I got there; my first impression of the event was brilliant. I'd never seen anything like this; and every year I go, there's always new stalls and new information. For instance, I keep finding new milks to try like coconut milk. It seems to grow in size each time I've been. There are very diverse people there, too."
"VegfestUK has really helped me so much in my son Gabriel's journey towards a healthy vegan diet. I bought a wonderful book by Sandra Hood and he is soon to be going plant-based because of this. Being at the event and being surrounded by so many healthy vegan children has been wonderful - it gave me a much-needed support network. It's a very positive feeling to see all these healthy families walking around the festival. Another highlight is knowing that I can eat anything there. It's so useful too, as they always have a massive stall of baby products, which is amazing. Even the simplest things like vegan-friendly household products can sometimes be difficult to find, so I get stocked up at VegfestUK. It's great to see things that other people take for granted, like confectionary. VegfestUK has definitely helped reassure me that a vegan lifestyle is healthy for everyone including children." "I think it's very supportive for families. Gabriel has watched a lot of the kids activities like face painting and pirate cookery workshops. And it's wonderful to be able to buy dairy-free ice cream in a cone. Maybe in 2013 Gabriel will be old enough to enjoy some of the kids' activities himself in the VegfestUK kid's area."
"I actually ended up performing at VegfestUK in 2012, which was an incredible experience. When I perform at VegfestUK it feels different somehow to anywhere else I perform. There's a very happy atmosphere there. People take a lot of notice of what I'm doing and are more supportive somehow. I remember getting recognised at my Manchester vegan group from my appearance at VegfestUK, so I've had a bit of veg fame, which is cool!"
"Living a vegan lifestyle can sometimes mean that you're at the wrong end of some negative comments like, 'You're not going to make him vegan are you?' You don't start to feel in a minority until you start getting lots of people saying things like that. And sometimes it's hard not to be preachy about it when you feel that what you're doing could be a good thing. I kind of turn the comment on its head really and say that I'm not going to make him eat meat either." "I am not exactly the healthiest vegan (I love baking cakes). But giving up dairy has definitely helped my vocals, as I noticed a change quite quickly after going vegan. And I have definitely lost weight since going vegan, although I have to remember to keep off those irresistible fairy cakes from Miss Cupcake's stall!"
Denise is currently planning a European tour exclusively at various vegan establishments. For more information on VegFestUK London, Brighton, Bristol and Vegfest Scotland visit - www.vegfest.co.uk
Denise Morgan by Andy Darbyshire