June is a big month for us here at Eden Project Communities...
June kicks off a whole Month of Community, where we celebrate everything that makes our communities great.
We believe that we’re better together. The Month of Community is an opportunity to bring our neighbourhoods closer, give back, and shine a light on the amazing communities we live in. There will be plenty of community events and celebrations across the UK, and opportunities to support a variety of charities and causes.
Sound good? Here are some of the many ways you can get involved!
1. The Big Lunch
The Big Lunch is your chance to celebrate community connections and get to know one another a little better. Whether you hold a big bash, or just share a cuppa with a neighbour... it’s up to you how you hold your get-together! Check out our last-minute Big Lunch tips below.
2. Print out and stick on a ‘Say hello’ badge
The amazing John Bishop has joined forces with the Month of Community, with a fantastic idea to start conversations and make new connections and friendships. He’s encouraging people to print out and stick on a ‘Say Hello’ badge, to nudge people to say, well, hello! It’s a simple idea, that could make a big difference. Find out more and download your free ‘Say hello’ badges here:
3. Neighbourhood Watch Week
Neighbourhood Watch Week celebrated 40 years of supporting neighbours and building communities' resilience in 2022. In recognition, they shared 40 actions you can do with your neighbours! Find out more on the link below.
4. Volunteers’ Week
Volunteers' Week is a time to say thanks for the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering. And, we’d like to start things off by saying a massive THANK YOU to our amazing volunteers both at Eden Project Communities and at the Eden Project! Visit the Volunteers’ Week website for more information about how you can get involved and support volunteers across the UK.
5. Thank You Day (2 July)
Thank You Day originally started as a way for people to say a personal thank you to everyone and everything that helped us get through the pandemic. Who will you thank?
6. Download your Month of Community badges to show you’re taking part!
Download a Month of Community badge and share it on your social media, website, email signature... or perhaps print out and stick it on your window... the world is your oyster!
7. Carers week
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.
Carers play a vital role in our communities, and deserve greater support and recognition. Find out how you can get involved in Carers Week and show some love.
8. Loneliness Awareness Week
Hosted by Marmalade Trust, Loneliness Awareness Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of loneliness and get people talking about it. Check out our new blog that explores loneliness and what we can do to help ourselves and others.
9. Small Charity Week
Small Charity Week is a series of activities and initiatives to support and raise awareness of the hundreds and thousands of small charities that, every day, make a huge difference to vulnerable communities right across the UK and the rest of the world. Check out the schedule for the week here:
10. Refugee Week
Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. There are plenty of events and initiatives to get involved with, both remotely and in-person!
11. The Great Get Together
The Great Get Together is an initiative inspired by the late Jo Cox designed to bring people together to celebrate what they have in common. Find out more and organise your own get-together here:
12. Pride
June is also known as Pride month, and we have prepared a blog ‘How to be an LGBTQ+ ally in your community’, with our top advice to help you be an ally to any group that has faced marginalisation.
Being an ally is about much more than believing in equality and being anti-discriminatory. It’s actively supporting LGBTQ+ people through every day actions as a straight/heterosexual person. You can also be an ally to people of colour as a white person, or a disability ally even though you might not be disabled yourself.
We have lots of fantastic events to support, so take a look at what's going on during June!
