Why get involved?

Having a Big Lunch with your neighbours can be great fun! Here are just a few reasons why it's good to sit down and eat with your community:

To stoke up community spirit – we call it ‘human warming’.
To make the third of us who live alone feel happier, closer and friendlier.
To show how local people can change a neighbourhood for good, forever.
To conquer our natural shyness by opening our curtains, doors and minds and looking out for one another.
To share stories, skills and tools, so we all end up richer in every sense.
To discover common ground across age, class, faith, race and the garden fence, and to remind ourselves that charity begins at home, or at most, a couple of doors away.

But don’t just take our word for it! When we asked last year’s Big Lunchers why you should have a Big Lunch…

89% said it encouraged sense of community
89% thought it brought generations together
84% felt it made them feel better about their neighbourhood
86% said it was a day to remember
69% identified a stronger sense of community after their event
74% created new relationships which would like to be continue
87% of organisers meeting new people at the event
95% of organisers say The Big Lunch has been good for their community
Over half of the people who attended said after their event they feel less isolated

You’ll soon realise how many good people there are in your neighbourhood.

Do it for charity

You can, of course use The Big Lunch as a fundraising event. Infact, 10% of organisers last year used their Big Lunch as an oportunity to raise money for charity. If you’d like to do this, we suggest you find a local charity with a cause you believe in – be it a hospice, a reformed offenders’ scheme or even a tortoise sanctuary! These local charities are vitally important to our society, and they survive on love, graft and a shoestring. They need help; you can make a difference. Take a look at our Charity Fundraising page for some inspiration.