The Big Lunch, an Eden Project initiative, has been bringing neighbours together annually each June since 2009.
This year was an exceptional one, as the Big Jubilee Lunch 2022 was part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
A massive 17.2 million people took part – one in four of the UK population – making it the biggest Big Lunch in the campaign’s 14-year history.
The celebrations varied from small get-togethers in gardens and driveways to huge, traditional street parties and festivals, bringing whole villages and towns together – made possible thanks to local authorities backing the initiative, facilitating events and minimising red tape and costs for road closures.
As with previous years, research following the event was incredibly positive, with 79 per cent of attendees saying it made them feel closer to their neighbours and 73 per cent more likely to go on to further community activities.
Another 77 per cent agreed that the Big Lunch is important to connect communities during the cost-of-living crisis and 11.7 million people said it made them feel less lonely.
These last two statistics, and the increasingly tough times in which we’re living, have spurred Eden Project Communities, working with the London Borough of Newham, to launch the Big Lunch at Christmas.
Alongside Christmas light switch-ons, Newham is hosting a week-long Big Christmas Lunch, where council events will take place alongside lunches hosted by organisations across the borough.
Together, we are calling on others to take part in the Big Lunch at Christmas, and to consider hosting their own events to share some much-needed festive cheer this year.
It could be as simple as sharing mince pies on the doorstep with neighbours or setting an extra place at your dinner table for someone living alone, through to larger community or council-led events providing food and warm spaces.