AS a patron of The Vegetarian Society and a vegetarian myself for 20 years, I was interested to hear the details of a recent ICM poll commissioned by the BBC for the Today programme on Radio 4.

The survey found that 12 per cent of the population described themselves as vegetarian and a quarter of those had become vegetarian recently. It is also revealed that more than a third of the population would consider cutting meat out of their diet.

Since the beginning of the foot-and-mouth disease crisis, The Vegetarian Society has been inundated with calls from members of the public wanting to go vegetarian and asking for information on getting a balanced diet.

New and would be vegetarians as well as meat reducers will find The Vegetarian Society's Food for Thought booklet helpful. Packed with advice on balancing your diet, recipes and support, it will make going veggie even easier. For a free booklet call the Society on 0161 925 2000 or write to the address below.

The Society's website www.vegsoc.org also offers a huge free resource for new, would-be and existing vegetarians.

JEROME FLYNN,

The Vegetarian Society,

Altrincham,

Cheshire.