Why the Blog?

To an outsider, I grew up in a very ordinary family, living a fairly ordinary lifestlye. We would do normal family things and I went to the bog-standard state comprehensive. Once inside our house, I'm happy to say, we were slightly off piste compared to the status quo of what was considered normal in the 1990's.

My mother has always been a devout animal lover; dedicating her days to taking in the furry waifs and strays which other people in our village had discarded. My mum would set up hot water bottles for our fifteen guinea pigs out in the shed in the winter, put snacks out for the feral cat in the garden, cover the compost heap to keep the grass snakes dry and-my examples could go on... so I'll tell you about my favourite of all- she was known to sleep in the kitchen to keep the rabbit company (why wouldn't you?). 

My placid and devoted old dad knew my mum was a force to be reckoned with when it came to being a guardian angel to the animals in our lives. My friends would comment that my dad was 'always in the garden building stuff for animals' or else always 'washing that old guinea pig in the kitchen sink'. 

The respect and care that I learnt for animals has always been engrained; the idea that we have a responsibility to look after the beings around us and that we are all on this Earth together, as equals is a concept central to my morals. The sight of meat at barbecues horrified me- 'it looks like something from an operation!' and I grew up feeling confused as to why some animals were considered worth looking after, whilst others were something for us to use at our disposal. 

Until recently, I had always felt somewhat out the loop with the attitude bestowed upon me from my family. I remember being the only non meat eater in my primary school of 250 children and the only 13 year old condemned to a green salad for every meal of a residential trip to France. At times, I have felt like a pretty hopeless outcast with no chance of making a real change to the lives of animals. I have felt outnumbered by some of the people I love the most who love their dog but 'can't go without a bacon sarnie'.  Perhaps most frustratingly, I have had past boyfriends comment on how I'd 'better start eating cheese' if I plan to stay with them.

As a primary school teacher, I recently noticed that eight (yes eight!!!) children in my Reception class were vegetarian or vegan- a figure which resonated with me and made me swell up inside. I felt buoyant as I went home asking myself whether this was proof that the world was acquiring a new attitude to our fellow beings? Is this the start of a revolution against speciesism?

I feel inspired to write this blog because I feel that the world is changing and that the time has come for us to get together for a wonderful movement towards animal liberation. I hope this little section of the internet can provide a thought provoking, interesting and (hopefully) inspiring place for people who, like me, want to see an end to speciesism in this exciting and liberated animal rights movement taking place all around us.

We all start somewhere. We will continue this journey until Every Cage is Empty.