Eden Project Communities
Wednesday 30th of May 2018
Who are they?
Eden Project Communities aim to improve the happiness and wellbeing of people across the UK by helping to build more resilient and better connected communities.
Through Community Camps, events, experiences and access to resources, they bring people together to build their confidence and share their talents. They support and encourage people all over the UK to take positive actions that strengthen local connections and build stronger communities.
Eden Project Communities are also the people behind The Big Lunch! The Big Lunch, an idea from the Eden Project made possible by the National Lottery, is the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours – the one day a year when people come together to meet, greet, share, play, laugh and of course eat, for no other reason than we all need to. It’s an opportunity for people to build friendships and connections, which in turn creates stronger, happier communities.
The Big Lunch is inviting neighbours and communities to take part this year and host their own Big Lunch events on Sunday 3 June – anyone can take part! For more information, visit the Tpas Resource Hub and for a free Big Lunch pack, visit www.thebiglunch.com
The Big Lunch
Every year, individuals, neighbours, community groups and friends across the UK organise Big Lunches where they live – last year 9.3 million people took part in over 96,000 events sharing food and friendship.
If you’d like to organise a Big Lunch where you live, or you think your audience or network would be keen to host a lunch in their neighbourhood, please visit www.thebiglunch.com for more information and to access a free resource pack!
If you’re representing a Housing Association, some resources have been created to help you encourage and support people in your areas to get involved in The Big Lunch. Please see here for some guidance on how to spread the word, how to involve the wider community and how to empower resident to organise Big Lunches, from micro-grants, to access to community spaces and encouraging community champions!
Other Community Activities and Ideas
There are plenty of other things communities can do too – such as making willow lanterns, organising community crufts, arranging a memory walk, or organise a walking bus! Plenty of ideas can be found here.
Behind the cupcakes and bunting there is a movement that is building social capital on a mass scale. Independent research carried out annually shows that 88% of Big Lunch organisers held a Big Lunch to encourage a sense of community, 47% of Big Lunch organisers report feeling less isolated as a result of their event and 91% felt their Big Lunch brought different generations together.
Read about Laura’s experience of organising a Big Lunch here, how food brought Bradford city together here, and The Big Lunch story from a street in Hove here!