Huddersfield is joining what is being billed as ‘the world’s biggest vegan party.’

Animal Aid’s three-week Vegan Festival of Britain kicks off on May 20.

Author and animal rights campaigner Clare Druce, of Holmfirth, will hold a talk in the town the following day.

There will be a lunch, with attendees encouraged to bring a vegan dish to share.

Mark Gold, organiser of the national festival, said: “I am delighted that Huddersfield is entering the vegan party spirit, with Clare’s talk giving the local public a chance to learn more about the vast range of foods available and the benefits of veganism for animals, people and the environment.”

Clare’s talk will aim to illustrate the appalling conditions endured by animals raised for food.

She will also read extracts from her book ‘Chickens’ Lib’, which details how four women changed the law on battery farmed chickens in the UK beginning in 1973.

Clare and her mother Violet Spalding spent decades highlighting the cruel conditions on British factory farms.

They staged demonstrations inside the Ministry of Agriculture, caged humans in Parliament Square, and were memorably thrown out of Wakefield Cathedral by the Provost and pursued by the police.

In 1989, Clare published her first book titled ‘Chicken & Egg: Who Pays the Price?’

In 2004, she followed that up with ‘Minny’s Dream’, a book for children in which a young girl befriends and rescues a hen from a battery facility.

‘Chickens’ Lib’, which was published in 2013, will be on sale for a reduced price of £5 at the event.

The event begins at noon on Sunday, May 21 at the Quaker Meeting House in Church Street.

The Huddersfield event is part of a project coordinated by Animal Aid to mark its 40th anniversary and to celebrate the rise of interest in plant-based diets.

A 2016 Ipsos MORI survey of almost 10,000 people found that there are now more than 500,000 vegans in the UK – a rise of more than 350% in ten years.

The nearest vegan fair, a larger event featuring live entertainment, vegan food, films and talks, will take place on May 27 in Chorlton, Manchester.