The Surrey childminder who strips off to save animals
There are more than 600,000 vegans in the UK, and the community in Surrey is vibrant, with cafes and supper clubs putting plant-based offers at the top of their menus. Surrey is also home to one vegan who stands out from the crowd – Heidi Porter – who has stripped off to explain the reason behind her cruelty-free lifestyle.
Heidi, 43, from Epsom, works weekdays as a childminder and until recently, spent her weekends standing outside Harrods with nothing but a pair of flesh-coloured underpants to cover her modesty.
“I wanted to show that I’d prefer to be absolutely naked than wear an animal’s skin,” says Heidi. “Standing in central London with nothing on was terrifying at first, but it drew attention to the animals killed for fur. My suffering is nothing compared to what these racoon dogs, rabbits and foxes go through when being skinned alive, and I kept this in mind on the coldest days.”
Following pneumonia, doctor’s orders, and a warning from the police, Heidi was eventually forced to stop her outdoor protest. However, she was keen to keep the momentum behind her single-woman movement going. Once again, she has bared all for her beliefs, posing for a series of hard-hitting photos that demonstrate the cruelty of the meat, dairy and fur industries.
In one of the photos, Heidi can be seen suckling from a cow’s udder. “Some people still think vegans are strange for drinking plant milk, so in this picture I wanted to show how alien it is for me to drink milk intended for a calf.”
“Shooting the photos gave me a deeper appreciation of what animals endure. In the slaughterhouse image where I have a knife to my throat, I could feel the cold blade on my skin. A cow, pig or chicken would have the same sensation and feel the same chill I did, without the reassurance of knowing that they will come to no harm.”
Perhaps the most shocking photo in the series is of fur being ripped from Heidi’s body as she screams in pain. “I want people to understand that veganism isn’t just about changing what you eat – it’s about developing a lifestyle where you consciously avoid products which are made through animal exploitation. Of course, that means excluding leather and fur items too.”
Just like the protests outside Harrods, Heidi anticipates that her latest naked stunt will generate controversy. When asked how she hopes to manage this alongside her childcare role, she is clear: “I know not everyone will understand why I do what I do – the photos themselves are designed to educate people about veganism. When it comes to looking after other people’s children, every parent is aware of my activism and I respect the parents’ choices. I just wish people would respect animals in the same way.”
