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Community stories

Everyone is part of a community and we want to share their stories.

Trays of cakes and buns with 'The Big Lunch' food flags

Apex Lifts bring colleagues together with a Coronation Big Lunch

May 24, 2023

Apex Lifts, London’s largest independent lift manufacturing and servicing company, hosted a Coronation Big Lunch to celebrate their Planet Mark accreditation.

Group of people around a table outside smiling with their hands in the air for the Belfast City Church Big Lunch

Belfast City Council

March 22, 2023

Keen to help communities make a difference where they live, Belfast City Council have made it easier for their residents to hold a Big…

Woman next to plants

Celebrating volunteers at The Big Lunch

February 2, 2022

Cardiff Salad Garden, a Community Interest Company (CIC) combining growing organic, fresh salad with working with disadvantaged people, were keen to organise a Big…

Emily smiling at the camera with a plate of vegetables.

Reducing waste with the Cherwell Collective

March 12, 2023

Emily Connally is the founder of Cherwell Collective, a community interest company using the principles of a circular economy to empower local people to…

Two children draped in a Union Jack flag smiling at the camera. One has their face painted.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council

March 22, 2023

Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) is one of the smallest London Boroughs with a population of 183,544. The council has been supporting The Big Lunch…

Groups of people socialising around tables on a grass field in cloudy weather

Portsmouth City Council

April 21, 2023

Portsmouth City Council is a unitary authority representing the UK's only island city, and one of the most densely populated areas in the UK…

Group of people around a table outside smiling with their hands in the air for the Belfast City Church Big Lunch

Bringing Christian values to life with The Big Lunch

May 18, 2022

Community is at the heart of everything that City Church Belfast does. It's home to a foodbank, shared community space, cafe and gardens, and…

“Running a marathon was only the start of my story”

January 12, 2022

When Kerrie Aldridge decided to take up running, she didn’t realise that her new hobby would see her inspire people all over the world…

Children eating pizza around a table in a garden

Saving the planet, one Big Lunch at a time!

October 12, 2021

After organising her first Big Lunch in 2009, Diane from Warton has been bringing her community together for an annual day of community celebration…

South Willesborough and Newtown Community Council

March 22, 2023

The Council formally came into being in May 2019, and represents both the village of Willesborough and the suburb of Newtown. It is run…

Joanne's Belfast Big Lunch showing a group of adults and children posing for a photo

Using Nextdoor to plan a Big Lunch fit for a royal!

March 9, 2023

Joanne Boal from East Belfast, Northern Ireland wanted to bring her community closer together, so she founded the Ravenhill Group on Nextdoor – a…

3 people hula hooping in the street

The inspiring people behind our IVAR research report

July 11, 2022

In 2021, we worked with the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) to create a report on the impact and legacy of The Big…