250,000 people have tried vegan with Veganuary this year, making the current campaign the most popular since the charity was launched in 2014.

In fact, ‘Veganuary 2019’, which culminates today, saw us match the total number of pledges that the charity achieved in the previous four years combined, highlighting how far veganism has come in the space of just a few years.

500,000 people across the world have now taken the ‘Veganuary pledge’, and judging by what past participants tell us, for every 10 who took part in the challenge, 6 will stay vegan. A full analysis and breakdown of 2019 participants is now underway and the findings will be released in the spring.

This year’s Veganuary campaign was, for the first time, helped by 13 overseas partnerships. Veganuary extended its global reach by running localised campaigns in India, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Iceland and Russia. The rise of veganism is not just a UK phenomenon, but is advancing at an incredible rate even in some of the most meat and dairy-loving countries on the planet.

Another highlight of this year’s campaign was the charity gaining the support of some fantastic new ambassadors and influencers, keen to share their experiences of veganism. BBC wildlife expert and all-round animal champion Chris Packham has been delighting Veganuary participants with his veganuary tweets and video diaries, while Spanish international footballer Hector Bellerin told us how veganism has helped his performances as a professional athlete. And Harry Potter actress and Dancing with the Stars finalist Evanna Lynch moved us with a timely reminder that we don’t have to choose between human rights and animal rights when our hearts and minds are big enough to care about both.