The Big Lunch 19 July 2009

The Big Lunch is inviting you and all 61 million people across the UK to simultaneously sit down to eat lunch with your neighbours, in the middle of your street as a simple act of community.

A new initiative run by the Eden Project, The Big Lunch encourages communities to come together through growing food and flowers, creating street music, art and theatre, dressing the street and, of course, cooking and eating together.

The day after the Big Lunch, people will walk down their street and know someone in most windows. However, the legacy of The Big Lunch is much bigger than just the day after ... The aim is to give people the tools to strengthen their communities through 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.

Organising a Big Lunch in your area is really easy. The Big Lunch website and printed manual will take you through the process step by step, giving you the tools, templates and resources to make it as simple as possible. You’ll find inspirational ideas and top tips from our ambassadors on the website and you can set up your own Big Lunch, or find others planning one in your street or area by simply entering your post-code on our Big Lunch map.

To find out more visit http://www.thebiglunch.com/ or call 020 7636 8152.