MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY JOIN THE NATION IN CELEBRATION AT CORONATION BIG LUNCH COMMUNITY STREET PARTIES, PICNICS AND FETES!
Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York were among the many millions of people who took to streets, parks, gardens, halls and churches to come together in friendship in villages, towns and cities UK-wide.
On a day set out during the special Coronation bank holiday weekend for communities to come together to share friendship, food and fun, Royals joined in festivities at Windsor, Cranleigh in Surrey, Chalfont St Giles in Berkshire and in Swindon. They took part amid Coronation Big Lunches stretching across the length and breadth of the country, in all shapes and sizes showcasing the warmth of UK communities.
Traditional street parties were everywhere, exemplified by a West London community’s event where special guest Coronation Big Lunch ambassador Mel Giedroyc popped up. At the Eden Project in Cornwall, home of The Big Lunch, a whole weekend of activities took place across the world-famous landscape, including talks, activities and the unveiling of a giant Coronation Quiche to be shared.
It was a day focused on community togetherness. From Abraham Moss Warriors in Manchester where generations came together in their sports hall for a Coronation Big Lunch which featured a food sharing table and talent show, to Rossendale Rays, Lancashire a charity for SEND families who invited locals to enjoy a big BBQ and bike rides, to a cream tea extravaganza with scones served on paddleboards at Bude Sea Pool, to Morecambe where 900 tables stretching across the seafront brought thousands together to celebrate.
Peter Stewart, Eden Project Chief Purpose Officer – where the idea for The Big Lunch originated said: “North, South, East and West – from Orkney to the Isles of Scilly, East to Lowestoft and West to Enniskillen - 7 May 2023 will be remembered as a Coronation celebration day all about community. A day when people came together over a bite to eat, a glass of bubbles or a cuppa, to raise a toast and just share a moment of togetherness where they live.”
More than 67,000 Coronation Big Lunch events took place in all four corners of the UK as part of the celebrations for His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen’s. It was a chance to be part of history, boosting community spirit, helping to reduce loneliness and supporting charities and good causes.
The Big Lunch is the UK’s annual celebration for neighbours and communities that has been bringing millions of people together in a nationwide act of community friendship every year since 2009. It’s an idea from the Eden Project made possible by The National Lottery that’s all about friendship and getting to know people better where you live.
Following last year’s Big Lunch, more than eleven million people said that it helped them to feel less lonely, 92% of organisers reported it had a positive impact on their community, and almost two thirds of those who took part said it encouraged people to get more involved in voluntary work. Since 2015 Big Lunch organisers have raised an incredible £70 million for good causes. Her Majesty The Queen has been Patron of The Big Lunch since 2013.
For more information, or to look at some of the events that have been place near you on the Coronation Big Lunch interactive map, visit www.CoronationBigLunch.com or join the conversation @edencommunities on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using #CoronationBigLunch