About 60 people came to share food, drink and each other’s company, a good turn out considering it was damp and cold for much of the afternoon. Some had been at the first Lebanon Road Big Lunch ten years ago. Friendships were forged then that have lasted even when neighbours haven moved away, sometimes to different countries.

Why not hold a Big Lunch on your street? Just ask everyone to bring food and drink to share, if they can. You don’t need much space – a wide alleyway or an off street parking space may do. You might meet someone to feed your pets while you are on holiday or to pick up your child from school when you are ill. At the very least, you will have more people to say hello to as you walk down the street.

Click here for an article from The Guardian about the importance of social connection to your health https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/article/2024/jun/14/what-is-social-health?CMP=share_btn_url