What is the Big Lunch?

In 2009 Eden Communities, in Cornwall, had a simple yet inspiring idea: that one day a year, for a few hours, cars stop, shyness stops, gloom lifts and the UK come together in the street to meet, greet, share, swap, sing, play and laugh - for no reason other than that we all need to. And so, The Big Lunch was born!

Now, The Big Lunch is a national annual get together, with the aim to create stronger communities and increase the happiness and wellbeing of people across the UK.

In October 2018, the first Big Lunch task group meeting took place in Carlisle. A number of key partners came together to look at how we could bring The Big Lunch to Carlisle, in a BIG way. We want to help support Carlisle residents, neighbours, community groups, work places, school and more, to get together and celebrate our community with good food, friendship and fun.

The Big Lunch Carlisle will bring people together across the district. The event encourages residents to build their confidence, share their talents and grow community spirit. The Big Lunch Carlisle can also be used as a platform to support individuals and communities as they create positive change to tackle local issues that matter to them most.

Community Effect:

The Big Lunch is the biggest community led event across UK.

88% of Big Lunch organisers held a Big Lunch to encourage a sense of community
47% of Big Lunch organisers report feeling less isolated because of their event
91% felt their Big Lunch brought different generations together
89% (that’s 8.3 million people!) felt closer to their neighbour following The Big Lunch
94% people attending a Big Lunch believe it will have a positive effect on their community!

Want to organise your own Big Lunch?

Your Big Lunch can be anything from a small gathering in a garden, park or driveway, to a larger party with tables down the middle of your street. The official Big Lunch date (first Sunday in June) isn’t practical for every community, so you can run a Big Lunch whenever you want!

If you do decide to run a Big Lunch event, don’t forget to tell us about it! We’d love to hear all about your event, no matter the size – and if you’d like to show people where your event is, we’d be happy to add it to our Big Lunch Carlisle map (coming soon).

Here’s how to get Involved:

Organising a Big Lunch shouldn’t be overly complicated or require a lot of resources or money; it can be as big or small as you like by making use of what you already have and doing a little research to see what others can share.

1. Settle on a venue

Your Big Lunch can take place anywhere, but remember if you want to organise a street party you might need to apply for permission to close your street for safety purposes.
If you’d like to use one of Carlisle’s many beautiful parks or open spaces, you can download the application form from the documents folder to the right.

2. Pick a date

The official Big Lunch day is the UK’s mass participation day each year on the first Sunday in June. But if that doesn’t work you can pick a different day!

-Remember, we’d love to hear about your events – email us with your date, time and venue and we’ll add your event to our listings; also let us know if you'd like to be added to our map.

3. Find out who wants to come

This can be kept to residents in your street, people within a certain area, users of a certain bus stop, hobby groups, sports clubs, work groups…the list of people you could invite is endless!
Not sure how to do this? Or want to invite people you haven’t spoken to before? Download your FREE Big Lunch pack; including invitations, posters and more. Or take a look at some of the downloads in our documents section.

4. Plan the food

Keep it simple! Bring and share or bring-your-own picnic are good, as it requires little preparation.
Why not make and share some of our SUGAR SMART Carlisle recipes, designed and produced in partnership with Carlisle College. You can also download your FREE SUGAR SMART Carlisle Recipe Book in the downloads section.

5. Make some decorations

Bunting! You can make bunting out of scraps of old materials, plastic bags or the contents of your recycling box! Ask others to make bits and link them together.

6. Put on some music

A simple way to get some background music going is to get a few households to tune in to the same radio station and open the windows or see if anyone plays an instrument!

7. Get local support

Don’t be afraid to get out and about to see what people can offer for your Big Lunch. Local cafes, shops and businesses may be able to lend you things such as tables and chairs, donate food and drink and even donate prizes for a raffle.

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Take a look at our Carlisle Big Lunch Map

Find a Big Lunch event to join; We're busy pinning Big Lunch events that are happening in Carlisle; - click on the map to expand - click on the Red Stars for for more information about upcoming public events; *Please note: Not all events take place on the same day or time; make sure to check the information for individual times and dates.
Blue Hearts mark private events; Note - these are not on exact location and are not open to the public, but show how many fantastic community groups are taking part!

We’re excited to help bring our districts communities closer – to help do that, we’re creating a Big Lunch Carlisle Map! Here’s how it works…

I’m organising an event! How do I get my event on the Map? Email us with the details of your event; date, time, venue/address, etc - We'd be happy to include you. Even if you don't want your event on the map, let us know! We're trying to note all the fantastic work residents are doing, so don't forget to let us know.

Grow Your Own Big Lunch!

For those of you who are very organised, why not try to Grow Your Own Big Lunch?

If you don’t have space in your garden, you could look into the availability of an Allotment? Carlisle City Council keep an up to date list of all available Allotments, which can be found here: www.carlisle.gov.uk/Residents/Leisure/Allotments

The Big Walk Carlisle

What is it?

Another great way to both connect with your community and either work up a healthy appetite for, or walk off, your Big Lunch!

Don’t stop connecting with your friends and neighbours after lunch, why not make a day of it?! A bit of fresh air can do us a world of good; it’s good for both our mental and physical health, and enjoying a walk with a friend is good for the soul. We’re incredible lucky in Carlisle to have some fantastic parks and green spaces on our doorsteps. With this in mind, we’ve design some lovely little “Doorstep Walks” that can be easily downloaded and enjoyed with your friends, family or neighbours.

Big Lunch Quotes

“I love the way everyone brings something to the table. At most events, people turn up and take, whereas the giving is the best bit.”

“The party totally transformed the nature of the street; barely anyone knew anyone else before the party, but afterwards there was such a community spirit.”

“Something magical happens when people share a meal.”

“The Big Lunch is definitely the way forward for bringing communities together.”

Walking for Health

If you enjoy our Doorstep Walks, and walking with new friends, why not join one of our Walking and Exercise groups? We have a variety of different walking programs and something to suite every ability:

Wednesday Walking for Health (Level 1)
Tuesday Trundles (Level 2)
Chances Park (Morton Manor) Walk
Summer Evening Walks

For more information visit the Walking and Exercise page, call Alison on 01228 817158 or click here to email

Eden Communities Project is the outreach programme for the Eden Project. Eden Communities believe in sustainability and resilience, along with human connection.

All photographs used are credited to The Big Lunch – Thank you

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