Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.For one vegetarian public schoolgirl, a loyalty to tofu and beans over burgers and bacon has led to a pounds 1,000 saving on school fees, thanks to a forgotten vegetarian scholarship.
Lisa Stephenson, 15, a pupil at Wycliffe College, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, saved her parents a year's fees after unearthing details of an award set up by an Edwardian headmaster at the school in 1909.
The scholarship had gone unclaimed since 1993, but Lisa, a pupil at the school for two years and a committed vegetarian, was a clear candidate.
She said yesterday: "When I heard vegetarians could get a special scholarship I spoke to my tutor and he had a word with the headmaster.
"I have been vegetarian all my life. So have all my family. I don't even have to take any exams to get the award - just carry on not eating meat."
The school - motto "Bold and Loyal" - has blazed a vegetarian trail since the days of headmaster George Sibly, who introduced two annual meat-free scholarships early this century. As a crusading vegetarian, Sibly was a rare beast at the time and a fierce debate raged over whether lack of meat would harm growing children. But he stuck to his guns and in 1909 founded Springfield House - an experimental boarding house within the college where boys lived on salads, nuts, lentils and honey, and where steak was firmly off the menu.
When Sibly's son William took over as headmaster of Wycliffe he took a group of pupils to a vegetarian conference in Holland in 1946.
Among the pupils was Lisa's grandfather Roger Bacon - who met and fell in love with vegetarian Dutch woman Marja Klerkx. She later became his wife and the grandmother of Lisa.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments