The Big Lunch

19th Jul – 26th Jul 2009 00:00

Once a year, starting on Sunday, July 19th 2009, we want as many of the 61 million people in the UK as possible to simultaneously sit down to lunch together, with their neighbours, in the middle of their street, as a simple but profound act of community.

The Big Lunch will bring people together through a unique range of activity: growing food and flowers for the occasion; creating street music, art and theatre stories; dressing the street and, of course, cooking.

A highly-publicised website, ideas booklet and other literature will guide people through the process of organising a Big Lunch: linking them to others organising the Big Lunch in their street by just inputting their post-code; giving them easy-to-use organiser tools, streamlining Local Authority approval procedures; offering inspirational ideas from our ambassadors and other participants up and down the UK.

The Need for the Idea
97% of UK communities have become more fragmented in the last 30 years. There are a record number of single-person households. 300,000 elderly people in the UK can go a month without speaking to a family member or a neighbour. 5.4 million people work from home which can also be isolating. There is more anxiety about crime and personal safety on our doorstep. Personal happiness, reduction in street crime, and many other positive factors are directly linked to the number of neighbours with whom we have a good relationship.

The Legacy
The day after the Big Lunch, people will walk down their street and know someone in most windows. Crucially, we hope to make permanent changes in these rejuvenated communities by giving people the tools to take up or strengthen activities such as neighbourhood-watch; improving local amenities such as youth centres; taking care of the elderly or disabled; making imaginative improvements to the local environment; sharing resources from lawnmowers to cars; and supporting local charities both with money and volunteering time.

The Organisers
The idea was originated by Tim Smit of The Eden Project and Paul Twivy, CEO of The Big Lunch. It is Eden’s most ambitious project since its world-famous Biomes were built.

Supporters so far include:
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, David Cameron MP, Nick Clegg MP, Hazel Blears MP, Mayor of London Boris Johnson; Chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall; campaigners Esther Rantzen and Rosie Boycott; businessman Sir Richard Branson; horticulturalists Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh; and actress Emma Thompson.

How to get involved:
1. Endorse the Big Lunch - be listed as a supporting organisation on our website
2. Promote the Big Lunch to your supporters, employees and stakeholders
3. Pledge to hold a Big Lunch yourself in your own street – www.thebiglunch.com


For more information call Kate Groves on 020 7636 8152 or email [email protected]

View this event on the EAUC website →