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Following the success of last year’s nine-day campaign, our friends at the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network are running their National Neighbourhood Watch Week between 16th-24th June, to encourage England and Wales to help bring their local communities together to reduce crime and make their neighbourhoods a better and safer place to live. This year’s campaign will also mark the 30 year anniversary of Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch (NHW).
To celebrate the significant contribution made by their members, for 2012 the organisation are focusing on and encouraging community volunteering. So why not carry on the community spirit from your Big Lunch and get involved by volunteering as a Neighbourhood or Home Watch member or coordinator?
Since the launch of their very first scheme founded in Mollington, Cheshire, there have been a number of substantial developments across the Network, which is now one of the largest voluntary movements across the UK. They aim to trigger even more positive action within local neighbourhoods, enabling communities to take responsibility and make a real difference.
Volunteer Janet Gould, from Greater Manchester, says:
“My involvement with Neighbourhood and Home Watch started when an elderly neighbour in our local area became the victim of distraction burglary, having £3000 stolen. That was back in 1993, nearly 20 years ago. It was during this period I became a Community Volunteer, worked closely with Greater Manchester Police, whereby I eventually applied to become one of the first Police Support Volunteers, in 1996. Volunteering has enabled me to learn new skills and acquire qualifications, and has been beneficial and rewarding.”
To find out more about how you can get involved with your community, visit the NHW website for information on what’s happening in your local area during National Neighbourhood and Home Watch Week and a list of events.
The Diamond Jubilee weekend was the busiest yet for the Jubilee Time Capsule. Whether you were enjoying a Big Lunch, sheltering under an umbrella at the Thames River Pageant, or watching the coverage on TV, thousands of you were also logging onto the JTC to share your photos and stories of the weekend.
It was exciting to see people across the Commonwealth celebrating 60 years of Her Majesty’s Headship of the association. Amongst others we received entries from the Nigeria Big Lunch, the SOS Children’s Village in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and Riley Kernaghan in Australia – all documenting how they celebrated the unique occasion.
To see more of the brilliant Diamond Jubilee entries we’ve received click here and if you haven’t already add your own.
Deadline extended by popular demand!
Lots of people have got in touch to tell us how much they’ve enjoyed contributing to the Capsule, and how they have plenty of memories still to share. So, due to overwhelming popular demand we’ve extended the deadline for submissions until 30th September.
This means that not only do you have another three and a half months to submit your important memories, but it’s a great way to keep the kids and grandkids entertained on rainy days and over the holidays – dust off those photo albums and see what memories you can discover!
Want to win an iPod?
Each week the JTC judges are selecting one luck contributor, who’s entry is creative, insightful and of excellent quality, to receive a specially engrave iPod Touch. For your chance to win visit our competition page here.
Get Connected
To stay up to date with all the latest JTC news, you can like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Tweet @JTC_2012 with your entry and we’ll retweet the best ones!
Finally…click here to see a great piece of local history submitted by Sidiapelo Babish from Botswana. Sidiapelo remembers the first bakery operating in the remote Tshootsha village, Botswana in 1974.
By Verity at The Royal Commonwealth Society
This year Lunch with the Pope celebrated its 4th Big Lunch – with our Big Jubilee Lunch Street party taking place in Pope Road, Bromley, Kent on Sunday 3rd June 2012.
In the run up to the day and on the day itself the weather was a real concern but with Pope Road spirit we fought off drizzle, cloudy weather and torrential rain to deliver a BIG LUNCH to remember. In fact the weather increased resident involvement as people joined together to build marquees, decorate the street, set up activities, help each other with jobs, offer a hand etc. Children and adults worked together to create the environment for a fabulous street party ensuring we had a day to remember (albeit a bit wet!!)
This year we were lucky enough to receive a small grant from Awards For All, the Lottery grants scheme, which enabled us to buy some items that we can keep for future Big Lunches as well as extra bits and pieces such as face painting sets, crown making activities and other activities for kids and Big Kids alike.
Much of the day had no financial cost to it as it is about the neighbours meeting, connecting, children being allowed to play and use their road as they wish, sharing food and making memories.
This year the scooter reigned supreme with many children scooting up and down the road without a care in the world. Many of the children ran their own entertainment – providing free face painting and transfer tattoos to their friends. It just shows that anyone can contribute to the day successfully.
An organised balloon release (with each balloon having a house number attached) took place in the afternoon.
As always the raffle provided much excitement with local businesses supplying prizes for the eager punters. Amid the raffle a torrential downpour occurred but after sheltering under the Gazebo Shanty Town the street party continued with many residents staying out on their drives well into the night!
One thing that is clear from the day is that come rain or shine – people are interested in having a Big Lunch and love the fact that they can meet their neighbours, enjoy some food and drink and use their road for something other than driving on!
Tony Mitchell
Lead Organiser
Lunch with the Pope – a street party on Pope rd Bromley, Kent.
Despite the wet weather, Buxton locals made a big splash about celebrating the Diamond Jubilee celebration over the weekend, thanks to water donated by Buxton Mineral Water; proud supporters of the Big Jubilee Lunch and part of the programme of events to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The special occasion was the perfect excuse for the local community to share lunch and conversation at street parties throughout the town.
Andrea Lewis, one of many Buxton residents that held a street party in South Avenue, Buxton, said: “The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was such a proud moment in our history that it was only fitting to celebrate this momentous occasion with our neighbours and local community.
“We had a large number of people at our Big Jubilee Lunch and had a wonderful time chatting and laughing together. It was a fantastic day all round.”
What an amazing day! We’re delighted to report that a record number of people across the country sat down on Sunday with their neighbours for a Big Lunch. We estimate that more than six million people took part in the annual Big Lunch community get together – this year also celebrating The Queen’s 60-year reign.
Big Lunches were hosted in every nook and cranny of the UK: from the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, from Hillsborough Castle in County Down to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk to Truro in Cornwall. Stories, photos and videos have been flooding in since the big day – if you haven’t sent yours yet then do! Email us using the details below.
The tens of thousands of Big Lunches took many forms, from traditional street parties to picnic lunches in back gardens or local parks. Lunches ranged in size from private gatherings of 10 people, to larger public lunches for thousands – with the largest in Greenwich hosting up to 10,000 people.
Big Jubilee Lunch Director, Peter Stewart, said: “We knew that this year’s Big Lunch was going to be extra special. It has really captured the nation’s imagination – not to say its love of a royal celebration. We have been bowled over by the response from people up and down the country who not only wanted to get together and have lunch with their neighbours, but wanted to celebrate this very special occasion in a time-honoured fashion.”
It’s not just the UK that broke out the bunting for a Big Lunch. From sunrise to sunset, people in 70 countries across the globe took part in Big Lunches to celebrate The Queen’s 60-year reign. International lunches have been held in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Delhi, Durban, Kathmandu, on the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu and even in the Arctic Circle.
It was a truly inspiring to see such community spirit, despite the wet and cold weather in lots of places! We’re excited to announce that next year’s Big Lunch will take place on Sunday 2nd June 2013.
How did your event go? We’d love to hear about it so please get in touch, email yourstories@thebiglunch.com or jubileestories@thebiglunch.com and send your photos to photos@thebiglunch.com
So now the bunting is back in it’s box and the plates have been cleared away but what to do with all the leftover food? Don’t throw it away! There are loads of creative things we can all do with those party leftovers and here are my top 10:
By Emma Marsh, Love Food Hate Waste
For more hints, tips and recipe ideas go to www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
The sun is shining in places and the heavens have opened in others, but we hope you all have a great time at your Big Lunches whatever the weather.
We’d love to know all about your day – how it went, how you felt, any little anecdotes or special moments and how you feel about your community after The Big Lunch. Please take a couple of minutes to get in touch and share your story with us this year. There are lots of ways to do this, read our earlier blog for the ‘how to’. Tell us how your day was today- tweet us your best bits and your photos #bigjubileelunch
If you do send in your story and a photo or two (with permission for us to use them) along with your postal address, we will send you a Big Lunch t-shirt as a souvenir. (The small print – We have a very limited number left so it will be on a first come first served basis and unfortunately we aren’t able to guarantee sizes.)
Here’s a little round up of some great Big Lunches taking place across the four corners of the UK this weekend:
In Scotland, Kirkcudbright are holding a Big Jubilee Lunch in the harbour including puppets, a magician, street theatre and climbing wall, and Perth’s Big Lunch will include a Guinness World Record Kilt Run attempt.
In Northern Ireland, bring a tin and a picnic for the Jordanstown Loughshore Big Lunch or head to Bangor for a weekend of free family entertainment
In Wales, join the Marine Lake Big Jubilee Lunch or pop to Merlin’s Bridge for their Big Jubilee Lunch celebrations.
From Preston in the North, London Piccadilly and Greenwich in the South and Birmingham in the middle, Big Lunches are happening across the whole of England too.
News is spreading fast from the Met Office that rain is forecast for some parts of the UK on Sunday … but here at The Big Lunch we don’t let anything rain on our parade! Even if the heavens open and rain does pour, keep calm and carry on – there’s no need for your Big Lunch to be a washout! Here are our suggestions for some fun activities to make the most of our country’s famous wet weather.
Welly-wanging
A simple, old-fashioned game of welly-wanging will bring out the competitive streak in everyone to see who can sling their Wellington boot the furthest. Guinness World Records state that the current record holder managed 63.98m – can you beat that?
Wacky-weather outfit competition
Channel your inner fashion guru and see who can assemble the most stylish waterproof ensemble – or who can look the most ridiculous in the rain!
Welly decorating
Get everyone’s creative juices flowing by decorating your wellies with whatever takes your fancy! Our favourites are sequins, feathers and glitter, but with glue and scissors you can adorn yours with pretty much anything. Or if you’d rather your wellies stayed firmly on your feet, you could decorate your umbrellas!
Singing/dancing in the rain
Take inspiration from Gene Kelly (or the cast of Glee with their modern mash up!) and don’t let the rain stop you from putting on a show! Either recreate the famous number from Singing In The Rain, or let the raindrops add an edge to your Big Jubilee Dance.
Slip and Slide
This is a quick, easy way to ensure maximum fun for your Big Lunch. Create your own Slip and Slide with plastic tarps and some bags of sand (or anything heavy enough to hold down the slide) and make sure the area is clear of rocks and stones – for more inspiration, check out YouTube for some how-to videos. Grab your lilos and rubber rings and slide away!
Puddle jumping
Jumping in puddles is great for little ones, or anyone who wants to make a big splash! Make it a competition to see who can create the biggest splash, and you could find your guests entertained for the whole afternoon!
Apple bobbing
Who says apple bobbing is just for Halloween?
Come rain or shine, we hope you enjoy your Big Lunch! We’d love to see and hear all about your day, so don’t forget to send your photos and videos to photos@thebiglunch.com and your stories to yourstories@thebiglunch.com
The Big Jubilee Lunch is all about having fun, and we think dancing is a great way of entertaining yourselves and others whilst keeping fit and burning off all that yummy food! It can instantly break the ice and bring you closer to your fellow Big Lunchers, making it a day to remember!
This year the Big Jubilee Lunch has teamed up with the Big Dance to create the Big Jubilee Dance, a fun, simple routine that can be done to all kinds of music. The 5-a-day Fitness team have put together an inspiring video exclusively for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations to get your feet moving. It features signature moves from the last six decades to take you and your neighbours on a journey through The Queen’s reign, so that all age groups can enjoy dancing, teaching each other and getting into the groove.
We think the Big Jubilee Dance is a great way to keep active as part of your Big Jubilee Lunch celebrations. If you don’t have a screen available at your party, don’t worry! You can download the song here and play it loud on your speakers. We’d love to see your photos – share them with us at photos@thebiglunch.com
Happy dancing!
Big Jubilee Lunch 2012, an Eden Project
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