If you live in Cornwall or Devon, make the most of visits to Eden throughout the year with a one-year Locals’ Annual Pass for just £5, or two years for £10.

We’re running this special offer for locals until Friday 10 February 2012. Don’t worry, if you can’t visit straight away but are keen to benefit from the Annual Pass deal, you can buy online now and then activate the one- or two-year pass here at Eden at any time until 31 October 2012.

In case you need any more persuading, we’ve put together 52 things to do at Eden throughout the seasons. That’s one for every week of the year.

1. Trek through the largest rainforest in captivity, complete with steamy jungle and waterfall.
2. Watch chefs baking fresh bread in the Bakery.
3. Enjoy beautiful birdsong from the robins that visit the Mediterranean Biome.
4. Take a spin our glacial ice rink, perfect for everyone from toddlers to pros.
5. Find your way to the heart of our ancient Labyrinth in the Myth and Folklore garden.
6. Enjoy al fresco style eating in our Mediterranean Biome.
7. Check out our cola tree, whose seeds traditionally went into cola drinks.
8. See what happens in a world without plants, in the hilarious mechanical puppet show ‘Plant Takeaway’.
9. Explore the willow tunnels, one of our shortcuts for little ones.
10. Feel what Eden looks like, by exploring our tactile map.
11. Hear a tale or two from one of Eden’s mesmerising storytellers.
12. See the ‘chewing gum tree‘.
13. Try freshly made food – from savoury twirls to pizza to warming stew.
14. Enjoy a traditional Cornish cream tea in one of our cafes.
15. Marvel at the smelly Corpse Flower, which blooms for just a couple of days.
16. Get new ideas for your veg plot from our Global Gardeners international allotment.
17. Play on the wooden tractor, perfect for toddlers.
18. Lose yourself in the bamboo maze, a favourite with kids.
19. Look for the hidden Eve sculpture, deep in our Wild Cornwall garden.
20. Marvel at our magnificent dahlia displays, out in June.
21. Keep your eyes peeled for tree frogs in the Rainforest Biome.
22. See bananas growing in real life.
23. Spot as many things as you can in the towering robot made of waste.
24. Hop on our very own Land Train, pulled by a tractor.
25. Create a tune on the sound sculpture, our outdoor instrument that’s a favourite with kids.
26. Challenge yourself on Eden’s outdoor bouldering wall.
27. Enjoy the largest slice of cake you’ll have ever seen, our chef’s Victoria sponge.
28. Catch a glimpse of cashew nuts, used for everything from cooking to brake pads.
29. Get a unique view of the sky from inside the cloud chamber.
30. Clamber on our huge wooden pirate ship, set amidst the gardens.
31. Feel the refreshing spray from our crashing tropical waterfall.
32. Master the nets, bars and poles of our Nest climbing frame.
33. Spot the full-size horse made of driftwood.
34. See a real Malaysian jungle hut, complete with veg plot and paddy field.
35. Check out the kapok tree that’s so tall it’s nearly touching the top of the Biome
36. Catch a glimpse of our shiney solar panels on the roof of the Core.
37. Refresh yourself with a glass of homemade lemonade in our Bakery.
38. Watch our gardeners prune huge trees from a helium balloon.
39. Test your sense of smell in our perfume exhibit.
40. Seek out the Seed, the giant granite sculpture set inside a tranquil chamber.
41. Spot the brightly coloured South American sugar truck.
42. Get a bird’s eye view of the treetops from the Rainforest Lookout.
43. See if you can spot the roul roul partridges in the Rainforest Biome.
44. Try out our award-winning, rain-harvesting toilets.
45. Touch a cork tree, used in wine bottles the world over.
46. Have a taste of our fairly traded baobab smoothies as you explore the rainforest.
47. Try your hand at cracking nuts using our huge Heath Robinson-esque machine in the Core.
48. Come and see how pineapples actually grow on the ground!
49. Dig in to our spice drawers, an enormous fragrant chest of drawers in the middle of the rainforest.
50. Warm yourself with a glass of mulled wine in the run-up to Christmas.
51. Take part in our magical lantern parade during our late-night winter festival.
52. Find beautiful, ethical and educational gifts in our lovely shop.

Get full details on how to buy your Locals’ Annual Pass.

The Queen visiting the Eden Project in 2006

Since Eden Project kick-started the annual Big Lunch initiative in 2009, millions of people have held events, ranging from street parties and fetes to community picnics with neighbours. This year, people in all 54 Commonwealth countries are being encouraged to hold their own Big Jubilee Lunch events as part of the celebrations.

A copy of The Queen’s message will be included in every Big Jubilee Lunch starter pack, along with invitation templates, posters, a wall planner, recipes, stickers and seeds.

The full text reads:

I am delighted that the organisers of The Big Lunch are helping people from across the United Kingdom and further afield to hold Big Jubilee Lunches as part of the celebrations to mark my Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

I send my very best wishes to you and all of those who will be present for what I hope will be a most memorable and enjoyable event.

Andrew Hesford, who is planning a Big Jubilee Lunch in Liverpool, said: ‘It is fantastic to have this special message of support from The Queen. Her words are an enormous boost for every community taking part in a Big Lunch this year – including mine.’

Eden’s Peter Stewart commented: ‘We are enormously grateful to The Queen for her message of support. I’m sure everyone who is taking part in The Big Jubilee Lunch will want to join me in thanking her for her best wishes for a memorable and enjoyable event.

Some 10 million people came out in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee so we hope a large number of people will take part in The Big Lunch for the first time in 2012 – joining the millions of us that have been doing it for the last three years.’

To find out how to join in the Queen Diamond’s Jubilee celebrations by throwing a Big Lunch on Sunday 3 June, take a look at Eden’s Big Lunch website. You can order your free Jubilee Big Lunch pack there too.

The project has been running since last spring, when we teamed up with HMP Dartmoor and The Conservation Foundation’s Tools Shed project to provide the first permanent garden tool recycling programme in Cornwall.

Old, broken and unwanted tools have been dropped off at the collection point at Eden and then transferred to HMP Dartmoor’s dedicated Tools Shed workshop, where prisoners have been able to learn a variety of new skills while refurbishing the donated items. As a result, they now have 20 sets of reconditioned tools, which will be given away to schools and community gardening groups in Cornwall.

Eden’s Karen Dawkins says: ‘We’ve had some rather weird and wonderful donations; some were so rusty they seemed beyond repair, but the men at HMP Dartmoor have worked hard to refurbish as many tools as possible to ensure the success of this great project.’

David Shreeve, creator of the Conservation Foundation, explains: ‘The project was designed to bring a new and positive approach to recycling. It’s a simple idea, but it has received a fantastic response from the public and has really involved prisoners and prison staff as well as making a difference to many schools and community groups.’

Tools Shed was piloted initially with HMP Wandsworth before being extended to other prisons. Currently tools are being repaired at Morton Hall in Lincolnshire, Bullingdon in Oxfordshire,Thorn Cross Young People’s Institution near Warrington, Feltham Young People’s Institution in London and High Down Prison in Surrey.

How to apply for free gardening tools
To receive a free set of these special tools, or to nominate a deserving school or group, email or write to Karen Dawkins: kdawkins@edenproject.com / Eden Project, Bodelva, Cornwall, PL24 2SG, before Friday 27 January 2012. Please include the name, address, and contact details of the organisation that would receive the tools and a short paragraph on where and how the tools would be used.

The first 20 winners to be selected will be notified by 3 February and invited to collect their tools from Eden between midday and 2pm on Friday 10 February.

How to recycle your old gardening tools
To donate any old, broken or unwanted garden hand tools, drop them off at the Tools Shed collection point, which is situated at the Tyre Shelter on the perimeter road opposite the Eden Project Waste Recycling Centre.

We’ve put them together for anyone looking for refreshing and creative approaches to kickstart conversations about where they live and work, which go far beyond the usual stakeholder engagement techniques.

The case studies include stories such as:

• The seven Cornish towns that worked with playful theatre company Wildworks to animate open spaces and support regeneration.
• The communities on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula who asked the Eden Project to help them encourage outdoor play.
• The project that Eden worked on with the people of Kingsbridge, Devon, to create a design brief for a recreation ground.

They show how unusual techniques can get a broad range of people involved in putting forward their opinions, including:

• A festival approach, which can set the right ambience for sharing ideas
• Getting people to bring in artefacts and photographs to share memories about where they live
• Eliciting suggestions on an area using postcards pegged to a washing line or stuck on a map
• Video interviews where kids talk about their experiences of a particular place
• Creative sessions where people make objects that represent their views

You can get hold of the case studies on our creative community engagement case studies page. You might also like to explore our neighbourhood planning case studies from communities who are working together to draw up their own plans for where they live.

We produced the downloadable case studies as part of our work within the Building Communities Consortium neighbourhood planning project.

Christmas time lends the perfect occasion to raise a glass with friends and family. But have you ever wondered what’s behind the ancient ritual of clinking glasses, and why drinking traditions differ around the world?

It’s said that the tradition started as a gesture to prove that the contents had not been poisoned. If the host is happy for the drink to slosh from one glass into another, then it is deemed safe.

Every country has some sort of drinking tradition – usually dozens, whether it’s toasting health, life, or simply proposing to knock it ‘down the hatch’.

Here are a few drinking traditions from around the world as a handy guide.

Scandinavia

Toasts in Scandinavia are famous for being musical, with drinking and songs lasting the whole evening. It’s customary for guests to write witty songs about the occasion, adapting a familiar tune with their own lyrics. Thereafter, all guests are encouraged to stand up and sing a celebratory song at some point throughout the event.

Ukraine

In Ukraine they say ‘budmo!’ which translates into ‘we’ll live forever!’ and everyone else gives a throaty ‘hey!’ This ‘hey’ is repeated two or three times before anyone actually drinks.

China

For special occasions, a bottle of ‘bai jiu’ lovingly known as firewater is placed on the table. This strong spirit has little flavour, but delivers a powerful kick to the throat. Throughout the meal, it’s customary to pick up your shot glass of bai jiu, raise your glass to someone else at the table, and say ‘gan bei’ followed by the name of the person you want to drink with. This is a request to ‘drink the glass dry’ together.

As a sign of respect, it’s important to drink the whole contents of the glass while looking at the person you are drinking with. If you don’t want to drink, it’s a good idea to turn your glass upside down and explain that ‘your doctor will not allow you to drink’.

Japan

The Japanese see drinking as a way to unwind from a long day in business. It’s frowned upon to pour your own drinks, you must only pour drinks for the people around you. This makes a celebration a more sociable event. Here, you may say ‘banzai!’ as a toast, which means ‘may you live a thousand years’.

Around the world

Cornish: ‘Sowena!’ (Cheers)
England: ‘Cheers!’ (Good wishes)
Wales:  ‘Iechyd da!’ (Good health)
Germany: ‘Prost!’ (May it be good)
Romania: ‘Noroc!’ (Good luck)
Philippines: ‘Mabuhay!’ (Long life)
Turkey: ‘Şerefe!’ (To honour)
Croatia: ‘živjeli!’ (To life)
Poland: ‘Na Zdrowie!’ (Bless you)

We’re open late on certain evenings throughout December, for craft activities, music and song, food and drink, plus storytelling, massage and comedy for all the family – all topped off with a magical lantern parade.

Check out this video to see what’s on offer on 16, 17, 27, 28, 29, 30 December 2011.

Watch the video on YouTube

The three-day, residential event has been designed to give residents and community leaders the know-how, inspiration and confidence to return home and make a real difference to the future of where they live and work.

It’s part of our work with the Building Community Consortium.

The three days will make the most of Eden’s iconic venue, as well as the surrounding area, including:

• Local site visits in Cornwall, to discover the amazing work communities are already doing, including community land trusts as well as accessibility and educational charities. We’ll visit places that have helped shape new large-scale developments and those that have opted for community asset ownership.
• Hands-on workshops to leave you feeling confident and enthused to start neighbourhood planning where you live. You’ll take away with you a whole raft of tricks and tips to get locals involved, create a perfect neighbourhood plan, and create strong leadership throughout the process.
• Debate and discussion, to help you understand, and share opinions on, the developing planning landscape. We’ll be unpicking the knotty topic of public engagement and working out how to develop effective approaches.
• Creative and team building exercises at Eden, such as treasure hunts, ice skating and lantern making. As well as being great fun, many of these are also good techniques that you can use to engage people where you live too.

When and where is the event?
It takes place at the Eden Project from 5 until 7 February 2012.

How can I take part?
This event is now fully booked, but we will be sharing our top tips on this blog after the conference. You can also follow the event on Twitter, using the hashtag #planningcamp.

Come and help carry one of the giant magical lanterns, made by local artists, through our gardens to the heart of Eden, where visitors, musicians and singers will join together for a grand finale.

As a thank you, we’ll give you and your friends or family a free skate on our ice rink.

About the lantern parade at Eden

• The 15-minute procession takes place at 8.45pm at the Eden Project on 18, 25, 26 November; and 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 27, 28, 29, 30 December.
• The lanterns are made of willow and tissue paper, and each one is carried by two people.
• Lantern carriers should be over 16 years old and not suffer from back injuries.
• If you’re interested in taking part, please email the team on sitewidelive@edenproject.com – no later than 5pm on the evening that you are available.

St Blazey, Par and Tywardreath have been chosen for a slice of the £200 million investment that the Big Lottery Fund has promised 100-150 neighbourhoods in England.

East Cornwall Council for Voluntary Service is helping to establish a local funding scheme that will be available to the area over the next 10 years, to enable residents to make their communities a better place to live in.

The event on 22 October is a chance for locals to express their ideas on how the money should be spent. It promises to be a fun day, with free face painting, prize draw and refreshments. The Big Green Bus, kitted out like a mobile community centre / classroom, will stop at:

Tywardreath New Inn
Arrival 9.30am – Departure 11.00am

Par Post Office
Arrival 12.00pm – Departure 1.30pm

St Blazey Alexander Hall
Arrival 2.30 – Departure 4.00pm

Biscovey Burrows Centre
Arrival 5.00pm – Departure 6.30pm

Find out more about the Big Local funding programme.

The chances are that you’d do a very good job, armed with all that local knowledge.

Until recently, we’ve had little say in how we want our communities to grow or change, but now, the planning system is changing and people are being given more control over the shape of their communities.

While the term ‘neighbourhood planning’ might not get you all fired up, what these changes mean in practice is that, together with others in your area, you could make things happen! Things like:

• getting better bus routes-creating a community green space or orchard
• designing affordable housing for the area
• running a local enterprise, like a shop, pub or even cinema
• taking a local service into your own hands, such as the recycling collection

At Eden we’ve put our heads together with a group of like-minded organisations to offer support and inspiration to individuals and communities wanting to get involved in this type of thing.

Through the Building Communities consortium you can get your hands on:

• free expert advice and workshops, offering fun, creative and practical sessions to help you develop your neighbourhood
• free study trips for community groups to see people-led projects in action, from parks and gardens to homes
• inspirational case studies of other communities who’ve taken things into their own hands, including one Merseyside resident group’s regeneration drive, the Bristolians that teamed up with architecture students to rebrand their inner-city area, and the London neighbourhood that wants to create the first ‘urban Parish Council’.

Check out our neighbourhood planning pages to see what you could do!