Big Lunch makes big splash in St Leonards

The Big Lunch was top of the menu last Sunday, with two separate events in St Leonards. A big fan and never one to turn down the chance for good food and good cheer, HOT’s Chris Connelley helped to host the Christ Church edition and explains the recipe. Down below James Bacon reports on the fare at Sonrise Church.

Tim Smit is the man behind the Eden Project, which landscaped an abandoned mine in St Austell into one of Cornwall’s top tourist attractions, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year whilst asking interesting questions about the health of the planet at the start of the 21st century.

He’s less well-known as the mind behind the Big Lunch, another good idea dating back to 2009 which invites us to reflect upon, and do something about, the state of our own social relations in the environments where we live.

Smit’s basic concern was that, whilst modern technology allows for hitherto unimagined levels of online global connectivity, we are becoming less well connected at a face-to-face level, certainly as regards links with our neighbours and local community, thereby missing out on that sense of place that was so defining for previous generations.

The reasons for this major social change are well rehearsed, taking in the decline of the extended family, the fact that many of us are now working increasingly long hours, often undertaking a number of different part-time jobs, in ever more flexible combinations, and in communities which see greater mobility and change than ever before. What’s more, many traditional activities like shopping, banking and even socialising are increasingly transacted online in the privacy of our homes.

Having analysed the effect of these seismic shifts over the last 20 years, Smit came up with the idea of the Big Lunch as an encouragement for us to make time for a simple reconnection with our street or block or neighbourhood through committing to getting people together one early summer Sunday afternoon.

Recognising the nation’s recent love affair with food, and the enduring appeal of both the picnic and (more or less) traditional Sunday lunch, Smit centred his concept around the appeal of a shared meal, combining good food, conversation and friendship.

As with most good ideas, The Big Lunch is really simple, but very smart. That said, it took time to develop, only really getting into its stride in 2012 when it tapped into celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, thereby massively expanding its range, reach and profile.

By 2013, organisers estimate, 3.5 million had taken part across the UK, with household names Asda, B&Q and Halifax signing up as headline sponsors.

This positive PR brought it to the attention of a group of us here in St. Leonards, who resolved to give it a go under the auspices of the 7 Streets Project, an innovative Peoples’ Health Lottery funded scheme which encourages residents to come together to take action on issues of common concern. Approaching its first birthday, the project has mounted some high-profile campaigns against street dumping, anti-social behaviour and poor housing, as well as launching its own popular and locally run Kids Club.

We felt the Big Lunch offered a perfect ‘fit’ and teamed up with friends and colleagues in the Central St Leonards Community Forum, housing association Amicus Horizon – busy doing a good job renovating a number of run-down properties across the 7 Streets – Hastings Borough Council and Christ Church, which made the event possible by generously offering to host it on their premises.

Bingo. We had at the bones of good gig. Which got a whole lot better when we factored in some bunting, kids’ activities, live music from Pat Fisher’s Gizmo theatre troupe and, most importantly, industrial quantities of food, combining some truly enthusiastic home-baking plus generous food donations from local traders Moose’s Kitchen, the café at SHOP and the Little Larder.

The sun shone, in that weak, slightly drizzly, very English late-Spring day way, and the locals turned out in good numbers too, with around 150 people joining in, representing all sections of this most diverse community.

Kids played, grown- ups chatted, hundreds of plates of food were consumed and all the while new friendships and connections were made.

Which is what the Big Lunch is all about.

We are certainly planning to do it again, bigger and even better next year, and hope to see other groups across town sign up and deliver their local take on what looks set to become a summer institution.

Second helpings

James Bacon writes: The Big Lunch. What a great idea and one that was flaunted perfectly by the communities of St Leonards. Despite the slight fear of showers, the weather decided it would be on our side and fortunately held out for this great community get-together.

Sonrise Church decided to join the 7 Streets in hosting their own Big Lunch for the community of Bohemia.

Pastor Glenn Khan expressed his delight to HOT on the success of The Big Lunch experience: “It was great to open our large building of St Peters to the local community and host the Big Lunch. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet our neighbours and make new friends. We were very pleased with the response and incredibly grateful to all those who helped out.”

Stephen R Covey is quoted as saying, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities,” and this event certainly revealed the strengths and allure of living in such a diverse community. Even the vast display of delectable food illuminated the assets of living in such a cosmopolitan society, whether it was from a sausage roll and cheese straw to a presentation of Caribbean inspired chicken and rice; this was the very best of modern-day Britain.

I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon at the Big Lunch and truly believe that bringing together communities, forging friendships and bonds, should be at the very centre of what we do. The lifeblood of society is the community and the people within it. Once that has broken down and neighbourliness is lost, the community is seen to be moribund. The Big Lunch has been created to eradicate any fear of social exclusion and instead brings everyone together, no matter what your background or past may be.

We, the people, are at the very heart of the community and events like this do such a great job at uniting us. I felt a sense of pride blossoming for our locality during the Big Lunch, as well as witnessing a sense of solidarity and social cohesion in what has sometimes been described as a divided society. I very much look forward to seeing more of these events spread across the town and country and not just at certain times of celebration or victory. I think next year I need to step up a gear and perform some karate kata and break some tiles. I think the preparation begins today.

Sonrise Church was able to boast a number of stimulating activities at their Big Lunch, which ranged from arts and crafts to the magnificent bouncy castle, which seemed to be enjoyed by the young adults as much as the children. The food was bountiful and seemed to just keep on coming. The highlights of the afternoon came from the dazzling entertainment. The community was in awe at the performances by talented Gizmo group and Andrew Wadsworth’s impressive organ playing, as well as the incredibly gifted vocalists and musicians, Elenor Rose and Simon Roe.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful June afternoon and we look forward to repeating the same next year, but making it even better.

 

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