Fancy a Big Lunch?

// Yesterday was a big day for our neighbourhood. I mentioned a few months ago that Mosaic were trying to organise a Big Lunch for our road.

The idea behind the Big Lunch is a simple one: encourage your local community to have lunch together one Sunday. It could be a full-on ‘street-party’ affair or a smaller, simpler one, like a picnic in a park. Whatever it looks like, the aim is simply to bring communities together: and it’s that, ‘community’, that is so often lacking in neighbourhoods, at least in our road.

So, how did it go?

Well. We knew it was going to be a memorable one for Harrison Road when two elements that are quintessentially British came together in perfect unison: rain and a BBQ. Despite the drizzle (yes, not even ‘proper’ rain!) the afternoon was fantastic and became a truly community building deal. Everyone brought something. Some brought food. Some brought drink. Some just brought themselves. Some helped rescue us from the rain with gaffer tape and plastic bags.

One of our neighbours brought her fabulous handmade bunting whilst another brought her incredible flower arrangements made out of recycled plastic bags and bottles (check out the photos!).

‘Those guys at number 72″ became real people. People with hopes, dreams, pains and joys. Relationships that had previously simply constituted of sharing a friendly ‘morning!’ with one another were able to take on a little more flesh. The challenges of living in our neighbourhood were shared. The aspirrations of what it could be were aired too. Plans were hatched for next year and seeds sown for further events.

Delicious stuff. Truly delicious.

One of the things that amazed  us was how many of our neighbours had live in the road for 20years+ and yet hardly knew each other. Understandably, they were keen and glad to be able to meet others and eager for more opportunities to do so.

All in all, we found it a great opportunity to just simply, and gradually, begin taking baby steps towards rebuilding a neighbourhood ‘community’.

So, how about it? Next year, the Big Lunch falls on the Sunday of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Weekend and even Her Majesty is encouraging us all to have lunch together on that day; the Big Jubilee Lunch. Harrison Road is planning one, how about you?