Vegan Runners UK are pleased to announce that as of 1st January 2016 the annual membership fee has been halved from £12 to £6 for full adult members and proportionately less for other categories of membership (household, junior, concession etc.) This has been made possible by an unprecedented growth in membership numbers in recent years which has seen Vegan Runners grow to become one of the largest running clubs in the UK.
At a time when most other costs associated with running are increasing this bold move by Vegan Runners bucks the upward trend, and is intended as a positive gesture at a time when many people are impacted by the climate of austerity. Furthermore, both new and existing members will not need to renew again until the end of March 2017, effectively giving them several extra month’s membership for FREE!
Since its inception the club’s membership has increased steadily but has seen its numbers rise dramatically by over 65% during the last year to almost 400 members. This rapid increase, along with the anticipated continued growth, has enabled the club to revise its fee structure accordingly to now make joining even more accessible to everyone. It will also mean that more people will be able to buy the club’s ever popular range of kit and casual clothing, reserved specifically for members.
Formed in 2004, the Vegan Runners club has the objectives of promoting veganism through sport, and providing a supportive community for vegan runners all over the UK. Membership is open to anyone who follows a vegan lifestyle and has an interest in furthering their running in a friendly and supportive environment.
VRUK is a most unique running club, not only in that its membership is drawn from all corners of the country rather than just locally based, but also because all members share the same vegan values and lifestyles, beyond their basic interests in running. As with other running clubs many members of Vegan Runners choose to upgrade their membership to also include affiliation to England Athletics (for an extra £13), thus entitling them to discounts on race entry fees as well as appearing in race listings and race results as a member of ‘Vegan Runners’.
“Whilst most of our members choose to include EA affiliation (‘first claim’) we do have some members who are ‘first claim’ with their local club and ‘second claim’ members of VRUK (not affiliated to EA), but all are equally welcome.” said Nicola Cowee, VRUK membership secretary. “A recent development within our club has been the emergence of autonomous groups of Vegan Runners setting up local ‘meet-up’ groups where there is sufficient interest and numbers. Currently there are 23 such groups so there could, or soon, be a group near you!” she added.
Originally set up in the United Kingdom Vegan Runners now has affiliated organisations in many other countries around the world with an international Facebook following of over 7,000 and almost 1900 on the UK Vegan Runners site.
VRUK is affiliated to England Athletics (EA), SEEA, ECCA and The Vegan Society.
