Background
Vince was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, leaving school at 15.
Vince was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, leaving school at 15.
In 1991 he saw his first windfarm ("I thought, either I can carry on by myself with the windmill on my van, or I can get into the big stuff") and in 1995 he founded the Renewable Energy Company. In 1996 he launched his first wind turbine supplying "green electricity". In 2010 he became a major shareholder of Forest Green Rovers F.C. Three months after joining the club as a majority shareholder, Vince became the club chairman.
In February 2011, Rovers players were banned from eating red meat for health reasons, and a few weeks later the sale of all red meat products was banned at the club"s football ground, leaving only vegetarian options as well as free-range poultry and fish from sustainable stocks.
Vince has also introduced a number of different eco-friendly developments at the club including the installation of solar panels on its New Lawn home ground, the use of a solar-powered robot grass mower, and the creation of the world"s first organic football pitch. In September 2015, Vince revealed Forest Green were using a player recruitment method similar to the "Moneyball" model that had been initially used in baseball to sign players by using computer-generated analysis.
In October 2015, Forest Green became the world"s first all vegan football club Vince has made donations to both the Labour Party and the Green Party.
Prior to the 2015 United Kingdom general election, he was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party"s Caroline Lucas.