A WAVE of Isle of Wight residents are abstaining from the use of animal products as part of an annual, global event.

Veganuary, which takes place during the month of January, started in 2014 to encourage and educate non-vegans on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle using predominantly plant based food and drink.

Having experienced modest coverage early on, participation has increased substantially for each annual instalment, with 2019 seeing a total of 250,000 people signed up from 193 countries.

A string of Island eateries and food services have special Veganuary deals in place this month.

Plant Based Yummyness is offering a ten per cent discount for first time purchases of their healthy vegan ready meals, all of which are gluten free and contain no refined sugar.

Owner Josslin Peacey said: " I have just launched a new website with the aim of bringing convenience to both long-time vegans and people newer to the lifestyle.

"Switching to vegan can be quite daunting at first — we aim to make it effortless for people to ease into it with nutritious, delicious meals and desserts delivered to your door."

Local vegan specialists such as Tansy's Pantry, Peach and Django's will provide their usual wide range of herbivorous fare to visitors, and are happy to advise those wanting to plan their Veganuary meals.

National and international organisations have also supplemented their selection, with KFC's vegan burger, Subway's meatless marinara and Greggs' vegan steak bake all receiving generally positive reviews.

Carmen Angelique, of East Cowes, became vegan after participating in Veganuary 2019.

She said: "My motivation last January was animal welfare, and I stuck with the lifestyle afterwards.

"With the Island now boasting a wide range of vegan cafes and restaurants, there are some fantastic local brains to pick on the subject for anyone interested.

"Going plant-based is a change I'm proud to have made."