Big Lunch news from all four corners of the UK!
The Big Lunch team is now spread across offices in London, Glasgow, Belfast and at the Eden Project in Cornwall. We’re all busily working away on exciting new materials for 2012, and are pleased to say that your FREE Big Lunch Pack can be ordered from the website very soon. We’ll send you another email to let you know when we’re ready so you can be the first to sign up.
Emily Watts is the latest to join the team as our new representative for Scotland. She’s raring to go and hoping to get a record number of Lunches signed up in Scotland for 2012! In Northern Ireland, Grainne McCloskey has been out on the road spreading the word and recently met industrious, community spirited people at the Village SOS conference in Derry / Londonderry. She’s keen to hear from anyone with community related goals so do get in touch. And finally, in Wales… a very warm welcome was received at the Tenant Participation Advisory Service conference in Llandridnod last week.
Here’s to a fantastic Big Lunch 2012 right across the UK!
Contact Grainne in Northern Ireland, Emily in Scotland and Kate if you’re in England or Wales.
Share your story with the Jubilee Time Capsule
The Jubilee Time Capsule is an online archive set up by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), telling the people’s history of the last 60 years. People across the globe are invited to share their memories to commemorate the 60 years that make up The Queen’s reign. The Jubilee Time Capsule timeline runs from 6th February 1952 to 6th June 2012, spanning roughly 22,000 days and each day needs to be filled with a memory. The best entries will be showcased in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen in 2012.
So far, memories about weddings, natural disasters and national occasions have been submitted. We’re now calling on you to share your memories! Please send us your stories, photos and videos from previous street parties, events marking the silver or golden Jubilee or past Big Lunches and we’ll add them to the Jubilee Time Capsule for you.
Design your own neighbourhood
Do you have a great idea for a community space or building that you’d like help getting off the ground? Perhaps you and your neighbours have suggestions for how to improve your area, with simple changes like a new cycle lane or better parent-child parking – or maybe you’re keen to take on something bigger like a community cafe.
The Eden Project is running a free ‘creative planning camp’ at its iconic site, to help residents and community groups with the initial stages of coming up with a vision for their area. You can apply online for a place at the workshop, which takes place from 5th – 7th February, or click through to Eden’s neighbourhood planning pages to get inspiration from other communities that have made change happen where they live.
Your Square Mile – Citizens Mutual just launched
The Your Square Mile mutual is the first of its kind; made by citizens for citizens and open to everyone aged 16 or over in the UK. A mutual is an organisation owned by its members and run entirely for their benefit. Set up to help communities work together to create positive change and to enable the sharing of ideas, skills and resources, this is a great resource for Big Lunchers and anyone who wants to get involved in their community.
Joining the Your Square Mile mutual for just £10 gives you access to rewards, information and advice that will support you and your community to get things done. Current benefits include £1m of Public Liability Insurance and £25,000 of Personal Accident Insurance to cover any kind of volunteering, a free legal services helpline and 20% off printing to help you promote local activity in your community. Watch this space for more great benefits coming soon!
