The Big Lunch - 5 June

Polite conversation with residents and patients has recently involved the royal wedding more than I would like, so I have looked for positive and truthful things to say:

• it's great to have an event that brings people together,


• sometimes people need a pretext to meet their neighbours,


• there's nothing like sharing food to build community

These sorts of conversations might lead on to why community matters, how communities can develop resilience to economic and other shocks....

The Big Lunch initiative allows us to enjoy the benefits of street parties with a rather more interesting theme, or no theme at all except sharing a day with your neighbours.

The Big Lunch is a very simple idea from the Eden Project: "The aim is to get as many people as possible across the whole of the UK to have lunch with their neighbours in a simple act of community, friendship and fun. This year it’s happening on Sunday 5th June and a record number of people are expected to take part - why not be one of them?

A Big Lunch can be anything from a few neighbours getting together in the garden or on the street, to a full blown party with food, music and decoration that quite literally stops the traffic.

Since starting in 2009, thousands of Big Lunches have taken place in all kinds of communities across the UK and the best part of a million people get involved each year." Lesley Grahame

NB: Please click on the poster image for participating streets and contact details