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Here at The Big Lunch team we’re super keen to know how you get on and we’d love to hear your stories about what happened at your Big Lunch. Not only does it warm our hearts, but it also helps us to encourage more people to get involved and find out how brilliantly wonderful it is to build community and get to know your neighbours.
There are lots of ways you can share your story with us this year, so please take a couple of minutes to let us know about your Big Lunch.
Email high res images and videos by email to photos@thebiglunch.com with:
It’s really important to remember that by sending us your photos and videos you are consenting for us to use them for promotional purposes. If you would like to restrict their use in any way you must make it clear in your email.
An easy way to get consent from your neighbours on the day is to pin a consent notice up around the street or area. We’ve got templates here for you to download and use.
You can also upload images and videos to your Facebook and Flickr sites if you have them, and add videos to YouTube too. Please tag everything ‘BigLunch’ so we get to see it.
We’ll be tweeting from various Big Lunches across the country over the weekend, so join in and keep us up to date from the bunting hanging to the clearing up using these hashtags – #biglunch and #bigjubileelunch
And if you wanted to let us know how your Big Lunch went in words, without any whizzbang photos, footage or social media then simply pop your story on an email and send to yourstories@thebiglunch.com
Big Jubilee Lunch 2012, an Eden Project
We have had such fun organising our big lunch. It has generated a lot of interest from neighbours I would never have recognised let alone spoken to. At our last meeeting we laughed so much, one neighbour said he hoped the lunch would be as much fun as the planning.
We have deliberately kept things simple, with everyones ideas being taken up (let them organise their own idea). We will have f ace painting, a free raffle, children’s craft table, country dancing as well as food and drink. Lets hope for no rain.
big thank all staff lovely day
and hrad put
in
from
david jones
big thank for a lovely day
from
david
Inspite of dull cold weather . 1/5th of the village turned out to celebrate Muckhart Big Jubilee Lunch on Sunday 3rd June. A tableau of a Coronation by children followed by bouncy castle, face painting, competitions, for the children and an Icebreaker and village quiz with lots of fun and socialising for the adults.
First time event .Scotland has a lot to catch upon.
( I am a Scot born and bred)
Thanks to Big Lunch Team
We had a fantastic day yesterday!! despite the weather!! but in good British Tradition, we soldiered on and had 120 people squashed under 9 gazebo’s, BBQ and Quiz enjoyed by all! New and old residents from Millfield Road formed new friendships, one resident was born in the street in 1932 and the last born this year! and many ages in between!! This is now going to be an annual event! Julie Taylor.
The residents of Ethendun, Bratton held their lunch on Sat 26th May, as the village was too busy over the jubilee. All enjoyed the chance to get together and meet each other. I would like to thank all those who supported the lunch and for all the splendid food that arrived. Also our thanks to Carling
Marie
We had a great big lunch a week early and benefitted from the hot sunny weather. Our community group are meeting soon and I would like to get them to committ to another one next year, Have you any idea what date you are fixing on for 2013? Can’ wait!!!
Well done for encouraging us all.
we would like to say a big thank you to all our neighbours who took over from us monday morning and carried on with the big lunch we had planned.We had been burgled the night before and needed to be available for the police etc. Thankfully we have a great community in Woodlands Park and everyone was so supportive. We went along ourselves in between police visits and it cheered us up greatly. Thank you everyone
Powderham Crescent Resdents Association in Exeter had a great Big Lunch on Sunday. Thanks to all who brought food and came along and ate it! Congratulations to all who entered the cake competition – what fun! What rivalry!!
It rained from start to finish, but we had a fabulous time, parents taking children back to their houses to change into dry clothes more than once. Everyone enjoyed playing the many various games that we had planned, the parachute being the favourite, we all stayed around till about 8.30pm, so I think we deserve a medal, with over 100 people including 30+ of these being children, we had no upset from any of them, we were all really proud of them all.
Our big lunch was much enjoyed on Sunday with friends and neighbours of about 180 people
Young and old alike had funwith a selection of nice food,company face painting and games as well as a singsong allheld at Christ Church orpington
See what we can do next year
Great event in spite of the weather. We were able to hire the local church hall so we kept reasonably dry although no bouncy castle or barbecue unfortunately. However, we had a fiendish quiz, sold all our raffle tickets, had plentiful cakes and piles of food. We had estimated that about 75 would turn up and they all did!! Thoroughly enjoyed it and we may do it again next yeat although could you make it a bit later in the year – July say, so the weather may be better?
Amazing Day with a fantastic community lunch. The Village Hall was brilliantly decorated. Thank goodness as otherwise we would have been outside in the pouring rain. We had far more people than we expected but there was still food left over. Fantastic team effort by so many made this a memorable experience.
Milton Combe Village Hall (Devon) had its Big Jubilee lunch on Monday which turned out to be the perfect day for good weather. We had over 70 people and shared in a local produce BBQ, followed by Tug of War, Tag Rubgy as well as a sand castle competition! Over 100 cakes were donated and all were eaten up or swapped.. LOTS of tips and ideas came from this site.. thank you very much and here’s to the next Big lunch…
Cranston Drive Home Watch in Sale Cheshire had to postpone their planned big lunchon sunday due to the rain wenwere so pleased when everyone turned up the following day with food drinks and friends. The st was decorated and the children sat down to a 50s style lunch followed by the grown ups with lots of cultural food from Hot pot to samosas, the highlight of the day was when Isobel was crowned the jubilee queen, this is our second big lunch ,we are planning the next one.Thanks to everyone
Sunday 3rd June… It was non stop rain, we held an emergency meeting and postponed the street party to monday. Up went the sign, and hoping monday would be a great day. MONDAY came, all excited, txt everyone to say despite the weather we are going to Have the street party. Up went the gazebos, set the table, made sandwiches etc.. put the bunting up and started the party. We had FUN! Soon neighbours started to come with food, cake, fruit etc.. Wot a lovely day we had, kids had activities, did a banner for the olympic torch coming to BATLEY, had hand prints all over the banner. The sun was shining and had a lovely chat with everyone in our community. It was worth the wait! Can’t wait for next year. Thank you to everyone who helped on the day to make it a success.
despite the rain we still carried on the street party at st marys way hucknall the event was a success and the goodie box we received from asda “having a field day” was a great help as we had to postpone the games we had planned (tug a war,sack race,egg spoon,welly wanging ect) to monday 4th june ,but i was amazed all the kids and dads was flying the kites that was in the goodie box even in the rain i would like to thank the neighbours that was un able to come and still pop over and gave us food and drinks 2wards the event .and all the kids lv it on both days that they all asked when is the next one :) thank you x
Perry Beeches The Academy -Great Barr Birmingham invited lots of neighbours 180 primary school children who came all dressed up in red white and blue. We had nearly 50 elderly residents who live locally. We shared cakes, cups of tea and played games together. The sun shone on us all. The Deputy Lord Mayor came and we planted a commemorative tree to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. We will definately have a Big Lunch in 2013.
About 300 pupils at our Primary school in Levoca, Slovakia enjoyed the big lunch. We had such a wonderful time alltogether, sunny weather and a great school party. We loved the food and games :)
We had a wonderful day on the 3rd June. Following a Thanksgiving Service in our Church – St. Columba’ Portadown, we held a Big Diamond Jubilee Lunch for folks to bring neighbours and friends. We had a full roast beef dinner with a choice of desserts, all made and provided by our own people. We had over 140 of all ages attend in our church hall. We followed it by a short drama of the ‘coronation’ and a Royal Jubilee Quiz, with a cup of tea and Jubilee Cake and ‘wee buns’. It was a brilliant day and one we will remember for a long time.
Scotney Way residents all came together to celebrate the jubilee despite the rain! We had fun just putting up the bunting and dancing in the middle of hte road after putting out the road closure signs! There was a mountain of food, childrens activities (with splat the Dad as the favorate) a quiz and some all age games which we all played in the rain laughing and enjoying ourselves in true British style. Although the weather was initally very disapointing it just wouldn’t have been the same in the sun!! with 60 people cramed into a marquee we had no choice but to get friendly fast and fun was had by all.
We had a lunch party for our neighbourhood watch neighbours plus friends. Due to the rain we were unable to have it out in our garden (we live beside a main road so a party in the street was not possible) and had to move inside – great fun but a trifle cramped with 30 – 40 people present. It was especially good to see neighbours meet each other and find that they had a lot in common!
A massive thanks to everyone at the Eden project. Brooklands Manchester took part in TBL for the fourth year running and despite the rain we had a great day. Cant wait to start planning next years!
The Horsham Avenue N12 residents were fantastic, planning, organising and getting stuck in. The feeling of fun and togetherness on the street was something else, the best party I’ve ever been to. The Jubilee theme really helped. The music and food and dancing were all highlights. Lots of neighbours have got to know each other. The Monday weather was kind to us. I hope we can build on this with more to come.
We has a great big lunch in Furlong Road Gloucester. A huge turnout, brilliant BBQ’s a fantastic Jubilee quiz, great kids games and sunshine. To top it off we found ourselves on BBC Points West as there outside broadcast.
One of our great new neighbours offered to open up his new resturant, Shimla Spice, for the street that evening.
I am a teacher of English as a foreign language in France and we had a Big Lunch to celebrate the Jubilee here with my students. Despite the rain (it was bad here too) we had a great time, eating, drinking, swopping stories and recipes, and singing songs. We must do it again next year.