This year we would love you and your community to help make the film. It’s a chance to share your Big Lunch through your eyes and give your community some recognition!

All you have to do is film a short clip of your Big Lunch on the day – using your smart phone is the easiest way – and Tweet it to us using the hash tag #mybiglunchfilm - you could also share it on Facebook.

What to do:

• Short ‘n’ sweet is the key – it should be about 60 seconds of footage
• If you don’t have a smart phone or you’re too busy on the day, why not nominate someone from your event to film for you
• We’d like you to tell us ‘What you are bringing to the table’. You might say: “I’ve brought apple pie!” or “We’ve brought friendship”…you get the idea!
• Get creative; answer in unison, involve pets or ask the kids to take on the task!  
• Pick a quiet spot,try to keep your hand steady when filming and get everything you want in the frame 
• Don’t worry if the quality isn’t perfect –  it’s taking part that counts 
• Make sure you have permission from anyone in your film clip before sending it to us. We may want to use it for Big Lunch promotional purposes
• If your Big Lunch is on a different day you can still participate
• Don’t forget to let us know who is in your clip and the name and the address of your Big Lunch in an email to photos@thebiglunch.com  and send us your photos too
• Send your clip using wetransfer.com to photos@thebiglunch.com
• Download the full ‘how to’ tips and instructions for sharing your film here

Won’t it be great to share our Big Lunch moments together! We plan to share all of the clips and will use as many as we can in our short film. If you have any questions just email fay.richards@thebiglunch.com

Last night we released a summary report of the social impact research that has been conducted for The Big lunch over the past 4 years entitled ‘Feeding Community Spirit’.

A lively and thought provoking debate was chaired by Broadcaster and Presenter Fi Glover, with contributors: Tim Smit, CEO of The Eden Project, Jonathan Carr West, author of the report and Chief Executive, Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), and Linda Quinn, Director of Communications and Marketing at The Big Lottery Fund.

It’s the first time we’ve hosted an event which focuses on promoting the social impact that The Big Lunch has had within communities to opinion formers and social commentators. Our aim is to continue to position The Big Lunch as a flagship example of people led social change that empowers individuals and communities to make a small scale local difference, which as part of the bigger picture has a genuine social impact.

What do you think? Where does the responsibility for community lie? Share your answers here, or keep the debate going on Facebook and Twitter using #RSAcommunity  #thebiglunch @thebiglunch 

Plymouth Community Homes and Morley Court Residents association, have teamed up with the Eden Project on a new roof garden project to create an exciting space for residents; using the fun of The Big Lunch to find out exactly what the residents want for their new space.

The aim of the project is to transform a paved area on top of a car park in the middle of the City, into a vibrant, green oasis; improving people’s quality of life and providing a focal point for the community. Eden’s Resilient Communities Team has been working with residents to understand the different ways in which they plan to use the garden and make sure that their ideas are integrated into the final design.

In April, they held a “secret garden party”, where residents had a go at a variety of activities, including den building,games and banner making; while discussing their plans for the space. Jodie Giles, Resilient Communities Coordinator at Eden, said:

“The party was a great success. Not only did a lot of the residents of Morley Court join us for fun and games, but we had lots of suggestions to help make this a useful, creative space for the community.”

The residents’ ideas were collected through photography, film, postcards and model making. Jane Knight from Eden’s Landscape Team, then used all this information to inspire the design of the garden for the community and produced some drafts for everyone to feedback on.

Rather than organising another stand-alone event, or a boring meeting, planners then went along to the residents Big Lunch; where people were already out having fun and chatting to each other. The community were really happy by the initial plans drawn up and are now eager to see the final drafts; soon to blossom into a beautiful garden for all!

The Piccadilly Big Jubilee Lunch will be held along London’s historic Piccadilly, stretching from Piccadilly Circus to the top of St James’s Street. This unique event will highlight the very best of British entertainment, culture, art, music and food.

If you do sing the national anthem at your Big Jubilee Lunch, big or small, north or south  – please send your videos and pictures here to us at photos@thebiglunch.com. Entitle your email ‘National Anthem’ and our Big Lunch team will gather them together and do something lovely with them.

Below is a gentle reminder of the words to the National Anthem – we’ve chosen verses 1 and 3 as most fitting for this occasion. We’ll be singing with you!

God save our gracious Queen,

    Long live our noble Queen,

    God save the Queen:

    Send her victorious,

    Happy and glorious,

    Long to reign over us:

    God save the Queen.

    Thy choicest gifts in store,

    On her be pleased to pour;

    Long may she reign:

    May she defend our laws,

    And ever give us cause

    To sing with heart and voice

    God save the Queen.

Concerned about the fact that many of us around the UK might not be planning dishes based on seasonally grown ingredients for our own Jubilee celebrations, Start decided to investigate.  Early research by Start revealed that many of us just aren’t sure what seasonal food is or why we should buy it and eat it.

To highlight the issue, Start sent team member, and G-list celebrity Michael Davies on a journey of discovery to unearth just what is meant by seasonal food, and why we should be buying, cooking and eating it. Watch this short film to see what he discovered…

Michael’s Seasonal Lunch Box also stars sustainable food guru Jamie Grainger-Smith, founder of Think Eat Drink, and community gardener extraordinaire Makaela Gilchrist, founder of The Edible Bus Stop.

A few of our celebrity friends were on hand to help us out, so keep your eyes peeled for chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, rugby ace Phil Vickery, and of course our London Street Party Ambassador, Barbara Windsor, to tell us what they are bringing to this year’s Big Lunch.

The advert is now being shown on BBC Live screens up and down the country at the following locations – why not find your nearest one and take a look!

•             Belfast – Donegall Square

•             Birmingham – Victoria Square

•             Bradford – Centenary Square

•             Bristol – Millennium Square

•             Cardiff – The Hayes

•             Coventry – Millennium Place

•             Derby – The Market Place

•             Derry – Waterloo Place

•             Dover – Market Square

•             Edinburgh – Festival Square

•             Leeds – Millennium Square

•             Leicester – Humberstone Gate

•             Liverpool – Clayton Square

•             Manchester – Exchange Square

•             Middlesbrough – Centre Square

•             Norwich – Chapelfield Plain

•             Plymouth – Armada Way

•             Portsmouth – Guildhall Square

•             Swansea – Castle Square

•             Swindon – Wharf Green

•             Waltham Forest, London – Walthamstow Town Square

•             Woolwich – General Gordon Square

And now we’re calling on our beloved Big Lunchers to help us make the advert go viral by circulating it to friends, colleagues and family, and supporting us to make The Big Lunch 2012 the biggest and best yet!

Don’t forget it’s not too late to organise your own Big Lunch – find our handy 10-Step guide here, or sign up for your FREE pack here.

Simple mix together all the ingredients and chill until you are ready to serve. It is scrummy with chunks of carrot, celery and mixed peppers.

Ingrediants:

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 teaspoon minced fresh dill

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Don’t forget: if you fancy adding your own twist, experiment with mustard, pesto or spices such as coriander!

And with your herby dip being so quick to make; why not spend a little time growing your own ingredients following these great tips from Eden Horticulturist Catherine Cutler:

We’re delighted with the Royal support that’s been given to The Big Jubilee Lunch, with Her Majesty the Queen sending us a letter of support at the beginning of the year and the Duchess of Cornwall recently becoming our patron.  This was announced last month, following a visit to Clarence House by children from St Peter’s Eaton Square primary school.

We’ve been launching The Big Jubilee Lunch to the media across the UK, starting with a fantastic early Scout Lunch at Buckingham Palace, hosted by our Ambassador and national treasure Barbara Windsor at the beginning of March.

Since then, Actress Angela Griffin returned to her home city Leeds to join the Lord Mayor for tea and cake and the Mayor of Cambridge Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith launched The Big Jubilee Lunch on a punt draped in the Union Flag on the Cam.  In Liverpool Something for the Weekend Chef Simon Rimmmer drummed up support on Albert Dock whilst in Edinburgh, chef Tony Singh opened his restaurant doors for an al fresco lunch on the rooftop.  In Northern Ireland, the team held a series of events country-wide in collaboration with Volunteer now, promoting The Big Lunch as a way to celebrate local volunteers and encourage intergenerational connections.

We’ve also seen BBC DJ Jo Wiley launch the Kingsmill regional Fun Lunch Tour, which will cover the UK on a 20-stop journey. On its national    roadshow tour, Kingsmill ambassadors aim to get kids involved and ‘put the fun back into kids lunches through creative games, competitions and hands-on activities.

This Monday Barbara Windsor MBE visited Madame Tussauds London to choose some special guests who she would most like to bring to a Big Jubilee Lunch table on 3^rdJune this year. Her lunch companions were Jessica Ennis, Colin Firth and the late Amy Winehouse and Sir Winston Churchill.

Barbara said, “I have some incredible memories of growing up in the East End of London, with everyone coming together for street parties. The Big Lunch is a fantastic way to bring back some of that community spirit of yesteryear.”

Early Spring is the perfect time to start sowing seeds for Big Lunch veggies; from salads and herbs, to fruits and root vegetables. For most veggies all you need is some good compost, a few pots or growing trays and a sunny spot to grow them in! Some of the easiest to grow and share at your Big Lunch are:

• Tomatoes
• Spring Onion
• Carrots
• Beetroots
• Turnips

If (like me) this is your first time growing veggies, fear not!

We have a fab veggie-table to help you plan what to grow and when; including some tips and veg jokes to make it even more fun! You can download it and lots of other helpful resources on our Resources page.

We also have this fab new video, with Eden horticulturist, James Clarke, sharing his summer veg growing tips:

You really don’t need a garden, allotment or in fact any outdoor space at all to grow some fab veggies and salads in time for The Big Lunch in June. There are many plants which grow happily on a windowsill in yogurt pots, takeaway carton and even old boots! Almost anything can be transformed into a quirky plant pot; providing your plant receives plenty of light, water and space to grow.

If you fancy being adventurous and growing your veggies or salads in old recycled objects Steve Burrell, from Eden Projects Horticulture team, shares his three top tips on giving them the best start:

1. Drainage
   plant roots will rot if waterlogged, so if your container has limited or no drainage then put a layer of gravel/stones with some charcoal in the bottom, and only water when needed (if the surface of the compost feels damp, its ok)
2. Compost
   If you’ve spent nothing on the container, then spend on some good compost. The plants need all the help they can get in an unnatural environment.
3. Size matters
   For example, root crops (e.g.carrots) need more room, so wellies are better than trainers; whereas small plants or rapid growers/early harvested (like our Big Lunch lettuce) will survive with less root room.

Check out our  film featuring  Eden Project’s horticulturist Catherine Cutler, who shows us how easy it is to sow The Big Lunch Speedy Lettuce seeds: 

For more tips and advice of growing your own for your Big Lunch, check out our ideas pages for some inspiration. We will updating them regularly over the coming months to share top tips from the Big Lunch team, Eden horticulturists and even Big Lunchers themselves!

Don’t Forget: If you are growing your own Big Lunch seeds please share your stories and photos with me by emailing Trudi.holden@thebiglunch.com

To get your Big Lunch seeds, request your free Big Lunch pack now here