Imagine a summer’s day on which millions of us throughout the UK, sit down to have lunch together – in the middle of our streets, around our tower blocks and on every patch of common ground. The food, entertainment and decorations we will have grown, cooked or created ourselves. This will be a day to break bread with our neighbours and to put a smile on Britain’s face. It’s called The Big Lunch and this is your invitation!
Every once in a while a BIG idea excites me. The Big Lunch is that idea.
What’s the big idea behind The Big Lunch ? I'll let Tim Smit of The Eden Project explain. "It’s a simple one, really. We wanted to know what would happen if everyone in the country stopped what they were doing for a moment and sat down and had lunch with their neighbours.
The first Big Lunch showed that, at the very least, it would put a smile back on Britain’s face. We’ve got a hunch that, in time, a whole host of good things would flow from the strengthening of communities, too…
A Big Lunch can be anything from simply getting together with your immediate neighbours – in a garden, on the street – through to organising a bigger street party, with food, bunting and music, that quite literally stops the traffic. The emphasis is on shared effort and shared reward
On July 19th 2009 nearly 2 million people sat down to a comunal lunches throughout Great Britain. Streets were closed to traffic and for several hours became playgrounds for all ages with music, dancing, sports and general good natured silliness."
I really want to get involved with this...next year. I am already doing too much and it's too late.
Although the big lunch is only one day a year the benefits from it should last longer. It would be hard not to say hello to the stranger that you shared the coleslaw with the day before.
Neighbourhoods have grown food specially for the 2010 big lunch.
Allotments and gardens are being shared.
Bunting is being painted, stencilled and even knitted for this years celebration.
It's like a massive pot luck meal, everyone provides what they can whether it's grown or bought. The Big Lunch has a blog
I love this idea..do you?Helen
YES! YES! Love it! I romanticize it to be like the scene in the movie "Chocolat" when everyone gathers to eat in the backyard of the Judi Dench character....I just love that scene!!!!
Posted by: Theresa | July 10, 2010 at 01:11 AM
Knowing your blog Theresa I would not imagine that your lunch would be anything less than the Chocolat scene.
One elderly lady wrote of last year's Big Lunch that it had been the only time she had been outside her door all year, I found that very sad...thankfully, she had a brilliant time.
Posted by: stencil helen | July 10, 2010 at 03:59 PM