The UK's biggest community celebration saw millions of people making new connections, lending a hand and having fun - gathering under gazebos for street parties, grabbing raincoats for their litter picks and making the most of sunnier spells as they joined in to make a positive difference where they live.
The campaign, led by charity the Eden Project, called on people to take small steps to help bring people together, reduce levels of loneliness and boost support for local charities and initiatives.
With thousands of events taking place, the weekend saw a groundswell of community spirit take hold with events spanning the length and breadth of the UK – from a town-wide litter pick in St Just, close to Land’s End in Cornwall, to a community group celebration held in a church on Islay in the Inner Hebrides.
HM The Queen joined reading volunteers at a Big Lunch at the British Library on 3 June, before the weekend kicked off in earnest on Friday with a very special Big Help Out at Good Shepherd Primary School in Shepherds Bush, London. Tv presenter Anneka Rice was there to challenge the whole school to a full day of volunteering – from cat-toy making for an animal shelter, to visiting a local care home and sorting donations for a book drive.
Visitor attractions and cultural hubs also joined in the fun, with HMS Belfast inviting 80 youth cadets to take part in a Big Help Out with volunteer veterans. At Southwark Cathedral and Coventry Cathedral, Big Lunches took place in collaboration with National Literacy Trust to celebrate reading volunteers. In Kilburn, London, Kiln Theatre marked the weekend with a Big Lunch to celebrate its Arrive Build Create programme for local young people, while at Doncaster Danum Gallery, Library and Museum, guests enjoyed a clothes swap, upcycling activities and food-sharing.
And at the home of The Big Lunch, the Eden Project offered visitors the chance to swap entry fees for nature-focused volunteering activities including flower counting, bug house building, pot making and planting.
Other events included environment-focused activity by charity Clean Cornwall, who braved the weather to run beach cleans across the county. In Southport, The Hearth CIC invited the whole town to a Great Big Green Lunch at Southport Market with planting stations and a baking competition.
Street party Big Lunches took place all over the country to bring neighbours closer together, including a much-loved annual get-together at Waverley Place, Edinburgh and a giant street party in St Neots, where a market square was taken over by youth charity Inspire2Ignite.
Alongside Eden Project, other national charities took the chance to welcome members of the public to try their hand at volunteering – from taster sessions at British Red Cross shops across the country, to open days at RSPCA animal shelters. RNIB also issued an open invitation for people to visit their local libraries and help out by reporting back on stock levels of accessible reading materials, while The Big Lunch’s corporate partner Co-op held get-togethers over food across the UK as part of its work supporting community-led projects.
Faith groups welcomed the chance to join in and bring people together, too. They included JW3 Community Centre in North London, which held a bagel-themed Big Lunch attended by local MP Tulip Siddiq and the Wirral Dean Centre Mosque in Birkenhead, where people popped in to share a bite to eat and a chat.
Also joining the fun were students at Northampton College who put on a Big Lunch for older adults in the community and national charity Family Volunteering Club, who organised Big Help Out events in care homes, baby banks and community gardens. In County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Ballycastle CIC held an indoor family fun day and in Newtown, Wales, people of all ages jumped at the chance to tuck into a Very Hungry Caterpillar-themed Big Lunch!
Lindsey Brummitt, Eden Project Programme Director, said: “We're used to changeable weather here in the UK - come rain or shine, you can always count on people and communities to make the most of opportunities to come together, share food and make life a little bit brighter. Over the course of this weekend, millions of people have taken small actions that have made a big difference, which is truly heartwarming to witness. We hope the spirit of The Big Lunch and The Big Help Out lasts long into the summer, and that people use the connections made over the last few days to continue to make a positive difference!”
The Big Help Out and The Big Lunch is led by the Eden Project and made possible by funding from the Pears Foundation, Co-op and UK Government.
