How to get involved

 Before your Big Lunch

• Find your local collection point through:
• FareShare or,
• The Trussell Trust
• or, perhaps you know of a local charity or organisation in need of donated food
• Check with your chosen food bank or charity which items they accept.
• Include the idea on your posters and invites to neighbours and your community
• Ask for volunteers who will deliver the items to the collection point – you may need to contact them to check which day / time will be most convenient for both parties
• Let us know if you decide to run a Bring a Tin at your Big Lunch – we’d love to shout about it and encourage others to do it too.

At your Big Lunch

• Designate a collection area where people can leave their tins on the day (do make sure this area won’t block access for emergency vehicles if you get lots and lots of donations!) This could be directly into a car boot to save loading later!
• Take a photo of all your donations and donators and send it to us at yourstories@thebiglunch.com, post on Facebook orTwitter

We look forward to your updates and pictures!

But lucky for us our wonderful friends at Start have produced a fantastic Big Lunch checklist to help Big Lunchers in their last minute plans; from pre event planning and what to do on the day, to great ideas for after your Big Lunch. The checklist also includes some really simple tips for making your Big Lunch sustainable and eco-friendly; not only saving money but also reducing waste!

Start’s checklist is just one of the handy free resources we have available for Big Lunchers, making planning a street party, picnic or BBQ Big Lunch as easy peasy as can be! Our downloadable resources page on The Big Lunch website is packed full of goodies; from invitations and bunting templates to risk assessment forms and road closure posters. We have even included The Big Lunch and Big Jubilee Lunch logos, just in case you fancy getting creative and making your own!

But don’t forget, we have also included plenty of resources, tips and advice for after The Big Lunch too! Setting up a community gardening or allotment scheme, for example, is a great way of continuing the community spirit created from the day; and is a perfect excuse to grow some veggies and share with your new friends!

Seed Pantry has created two fantastically easy to follow resources on urban vegetable growing and veggie pot growing so eventhe most inexperienced gardener will have some home-grown goodies to share at their next community gathering!

Love our downloadable resources? We also have free posters, stickers and leaflets to order for last minute promoting of your Big Lunch.

Just email info@thebiglunch.com telling us what you need, along with your name and full postal address.

The eye-catching t-shirts are perfect for celebrating with friends and family over the Jubilee weekend, or simply adding a patriotic touch to an everyday wardrobe. We can’t get enough of them, especially at the bargain price of £8!

£2.50 from the sale of each t-shirt will be split between two charities; The Big Lunch and the Eden Project, and also our friends at Fields in Trust, helping to protect playing fields and outdoor recreational spaces, providing a place for future generations to enjoy.

Make sure you look royally festive this summer by adding the limited-edition t-shirt to your shopping list, in Asda stores this week.

Dozens of celebrities from all over the UK have expressed their support for The Big Lunch this year by revealing what they would bring along to a lunch with their neighbours. The different answers ranged from food; like pork pies and a homemade Big Nutty Mango Salad to ideas; like optimism and hope, happiness and laughter, generosity and care.

For long-standing Big Lunch ambassador Barbara Windsor, it’s essential that ‘we all have fun and get to know each other…’ and chef Rick Stein said that going to a Big Lunch in the street is one of those things you have to do before you die.  BBC Radio 1 presenter Scott Mills said ‘I can’t cook, but hopefully the sun will shine down on us that day and I will bring to the table the best barbecue ever using my expert skills with my tongs, inviting those close to me to eat, drink and celebrate this huge occasion.’

Peter Stewart, our Campaigns Director, stated that: ‘It just goes to show the beauty of The Big Lunch is that everyone brings something different – it doesn’t matter what it is as they all add to a fun lunch!’

To find out what other celebrities’ contribution for The Big Lunch would be, follow the link to: www.thebiglunch.com/60-for-60 or have a look at the Metro: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/898994-stars-reveal-plans-for-their-big-lunch-to-celebrate-queens-diamond-jubilee

And what will you bring to the table for this year’s Big Lunch? Tell us on Twitter @thebiglunch, using the hashtag #biglunch, on Facebook or email us at yourstories@thebiglunch.com.  We’d love to hear how you’re getting involved and what you have planned for your Big Lunch.

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.

As patron of The Big Jubilee Lunch, The Duchess of Cornwall, known as the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, hosted a reception this week at the Palace of Holyrood House, Edinburgh. The event welcomed some of the organisers of Big Lunch events being held in Scotland on June 3^rd to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Guests travelled to the Palace from across Scotland to give Her Royal Highness a taste of how Scotland plans to celebrate over the Jubilee weekend, and what communities will be bringing to their Big Lunch table.  A record number of people across Scotland are expected to host Big Lunch events in their communities as part of the royal celebrations.

Her Royal Highness commented; “Being a friendly neighbour has always been a keystone of our community life and just saying ‘hello’ can sometimes make a huge difference.  For some people, particularly the elderly or those who have to cope on their own, it can be a vital lifeline. Getting together to eat, talk and share experiences really does help. I am very much looking forward to joining a Big Jubilee Lunch on 3rd June and it would be wonderful if many other people are able to do the same in their communities.”

Guests at the reception were treated to a giant ‘jigsaw’ cake of Scotland and music by members of The Jiggers Ceilidh band.

Attendees sharing their Big Jubilee Lunch plans included members of The Rotary Club in Elgin, the singing farmer of Feufield Farm in Biggar, the Friends of the Victoria Hall in Helensburgh, Big Lunch organisers from Peebles and Big Jubilee Lunchers from Fife.

The Duchess also visited Armagh in Northern Ireland last month to celebrate their award of Lord Mayoralty status as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee honours. Read more

And it’s not too late to join in the fun and organise your own Big Lunch – follow our handy 10 Steps guide here, or request your FREE pack here.

Champagne Lanson is our official Champagne partner during this special Jubilee Year – here to help you celebrate this summer. 

Crafted in the traditional non-malolactic style since 1760, the award winning Lanson Black Label is the perfect start to any summer celebration!

To celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, they’ve created a limited edition Union Jack bottle and they have 12 bottles* to give away to Big Lunchers.  Whether you’re celebrating the Jubilee or not, make your event one to remember by adding some sparkle to the table.  Simply enter your details on the Lanson website for your chance to win. 

*The limited edition Champagne Lanson Union Jack bottle is available in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Tesco for £31.99.

Along with a wonderful group of neighbours, you’re organising a Big Lunch. The invites are done, the food is in hand, Judy from next door is running a raffle and Brian from number 44 has agreed to be the children’s entertainer.

But wait, you’re lying wide awake in bed at 3am and there’s something nagging at the back of your mind… tables! No one’s mentioned tables at any of the coordinating meetings. A Big Lunch won’t be much of a lunch if there’s nowhere to put the, er, lunch!

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all under control”, reads Sheila’s email the next morning in response to the panic text you sent in the night.

“I heard about Streetbank last week and I’ve been checking it out. It’s just what we need – a website that enables neighbours to lend, give away or offer items and skills to anyone signed-up locally. It’s like a giant garden shed, tool-kit, fancy-dress chest, DVD library and skills bank all rolled into one!

“So far, I found us eight trestle-tables, 29 chairs, a veritable mountain of board games, a body-builder offering her services for any heavy lifting and Dennis – the octogenarian baker at number 62 –who’d like to run a cake workshop the week before the party to get everyone’s baking skills up to scratch. I’m in…

“Plus I’ve posted a message on the community noticeboard to let neighbours know the party’s happening. I’m rather getting into this whole sharing-neighbourhood thing. Any chance we could do it more often?!”

Sharing in your neighbourhood – that’s what Streetbank and The Big Lunch are all about. Your turn to pass it on!

By Tess Riley

tess@streetbank.com

www.streetbank.com

As you will know it is now under a month until the big day, but don’t fret, there’s still plenty of time to gather all your materials and make lots of bright and beautiful decorations for your event!

Our Decorations Page is bursting full of crafty ideas to make for your Big Lunch. From colourful paper chains and lanterns, to customised tablecloths and bunting- we’re giving you all the tips you need to get creative.

Our friends at ScrapstoresUK have now made it even easier for you to create your bunting with their special Big Jubilee Lunch bunting pdf and their ‘Fabric for a Fiver Packs’ that include scraps of old materials for you to make your bunting flags.

Scrapstores have 90 stores across the UK, each one brimming full of old scraps waiting to be put to good use. They are making it easier for everyone to join in and get creative by visiting their local store to pick up their Big Jubilee Bunting Packs, as well as all sorts of other treasures to be found!

Every scrapstore is run by a small but committed group of people, many or all of which are volunteers. This is why the charity was created: to share the network’s knowledge, to support, connect and promote scrapstores with a common voice.

Big Lunch Bunting Competition
With all this talk of bunting, we thought it was a good time to remind you about our Big Bunting Competition We’re running a competition for schools, community groups and Big Lunchers right across the UK to find the longest single line of bunting made for The Big Lunch 2012. All you have to do is send the total length of bunting, along with a photo and your contact details by 30th June to camilla.baker@thebiglunch.com

To tell us about your lunch and show us your creative masterpieces, email yourstories@thebiglunch.com

Our increasingly busy lives mean that we often only see our neighbours when putting out the bins or leaving for work in the morning. But spend a bit more time with them and you may find out that you have more in common than you think. After all, you live on the same street and want the best for your local area.

Here at Keep Wales Tidy, we encourage communities to take the time to get together and look after where they live.  People are at the heart of what we do because our surroundings really do have an impact on personal wellbeing. If our streets and local parks are clean we can take so much more pleasure from them.

If you want to make a difference, we can help you take action. Our project officers help individuals who want to make a difference to form or join a group to improve their environment whilst instilling community pride. We also teach school children the value of respecting the environment. Spending time together in the fresh air is good for our health, allows us to meet new people and teaches us new skills.

Our ‘I Will for Wales’ campaign can help you look after your patch by making small changes to your daily routine. Why not try walking or cycling instead of using the car for short journeys and growing some of your own fruit and vegetables? Or show a good example to others in your community by picking up after your dog.

Better still, pledge to get to know your neighbours and encourage tidier neighbourhoods. Keep Wales Tidy is supporting the Big Lunch, so why not organise an event on your street? It’s the perfect excuse to bond with your neighbours, discuss local issues that matter and share some tasty food. For more information on how you can do your bit for Wales (before and after the party!) visit our website.

By Keep Wales Tidy