11/04/2024
Eden Project to connect locals with nature and each other at community event in Plymouth
People in Stonehouse, Plymouth are set to come together to make new connections and find out more about the inspiring projects on their doorsteps at a special activity packed event including a mini-Big Lunch organised by the Eden Project this Saturday 20 April.
Local social enterprise Leadworks is working with the eco-charity on the upcoming event, which invites community-minded people to connect with each other and nature. The interactive afternoon forms part of Edenβs flagship Big Lunch campaign, all about encouraging people to share friendship, food and fun where they live. This year, organisers are calling on the nation to make 1-2 June the greenest Big Lunch yet, with resources and tips for planet-friendly cooking and activities on offer.
As well as offering opportunities to network and share ideas, Plymouthβs event will shine a light on impactful projects already making a difference locally and provide practical workshops and plenty of creative ideas for injecting community spirit where you live.
The free event will take place at Leadworks Projects CIC in Stonehouse, a former lead paint warehouse now reimagined as a creative space for grassroots and community organisations. Guests are invited to hear from guest speaker Ross Birchall, who is part of Nudge, a group set up by local residents advocating for community ownership in a bid to strengthen the local economy and boost community spirit.
Also on the agenda is a creative workshop run by the Mindful Art Club, run by artists Peggy Melmoth and Emma Sprawson. The pair offer sessions giving people the opportunity to share their feelings, create art and practice mindfulness. Guests can also join in with a βwalk and talkβ activity hosted by Eden Project Communities, which will see the group share stories during a guided walk around Leadworks, focused around a search for nature in an urban environment and learning from its resilience.
Topping off the day will be a mini Big Lunch, with attendees sharing locally sourced food and getting to know each other better.
The inspiring afternoon is part of a series of nationwide community-focused events stretching across all four corners of the UK, from Argyll in Scotland to Birmingham, Rhyll, Camden, Hastings and Portadown, Northern Ireland, with many more stops along the way! Aiming to showcase simple and fun ways to bring people together, the roadshow hopes to encourage more people to become changemakers, with an exciting opportunity for people UK wide to come together and get something positive started in their communities on The Big Lunch weekend on 1 and 2 June.
Annabel Wills, Community Network Developer at Eden Project Communities, said: βWe couldnβt be more excited to bring our passion for community connection to Plymouth. With some wonderful projects already in place, we hope more local people will be inspired to chat to their neighbours, volunteer where they live or embark on their own community activity. Whether you have a burning idea for a project, or you fancy organising a Big Lunch on your street and seeing what comes from it, we hope all our guests leave feel motivated to make a difference in their neighbourhood!β
Speaking at the event is Ross Birchall, who is a member of Nudge, a community benefit society set up in response to an excess of empty buildings on Stonehouseβs formerly thriving Union Street. Established in 2017, the group have since βunlockedβ 25% of the empty buildings on the street, offering them to local people who have set up independent businesses including community hub The Plot, The Clipper market and cafΓ© and flexible activity space Union Corner. Ross is an urban farmer currently working with Nudge to launch an urban farm at C103, a derelict building currently being rejuvenated by the social enterprise.
Ross Birchall said: βAt Nudge, weβre passionate about the power of ordinary people to effect positive change where they live. Iβm so looking forward to sharing our story with other community-minded people at this fantastic event, which I hope will encourage even more people in Plymouth to start making a change.β
The Big Lunch is the annual nationwide celebration for neighbours and communities, with millions taking part each year. Organisers at the Eden Project say itβs the ideal way to boost community connection and kick-start exciting new local projects. In fact, impact research from 2023 highlights that 75% of people who took part said they felt a stronger sense of community spirit, with 71% agreeing that The Big Lunch encouraged people to plan improvements in the community.
Itβs an idea from the Eden Project made possible by The National Lottery. Since 2010, The Big Lunch has been bringing people together to create happier and healthier communities thanks to National Lottery players, who raise Β£30 million each week for good causes across the UK.
Places are limited and booking is required. To book your place visit: https://events.more-human.co.uk/event/reconnect-rediscover-and-recreate---with-eden-project-communities-events
Visit TheBigLunch.com for ideas, inspiration and resources for organising your own Big Lunch.
Editors Notes
About Research*
Eden Project Communities conducts an annual nationally representative survey, and collects data on attitudes of trust and belonging in communities, feelings of loneliness, and participation and impact of The Big Lunch. In 2023 data collected for this cross-sectional survey (n=4,000).
About The Big Lunch
The Big Lunch is the UKβs annual community celebration for neighbours and communities bringing millions of people together in a nationwide act of community friendship held on the first weekend in June every year since 2009. Her Majesty The Queen has been patron since 2013. Itβs an idea from the Eden Project made possible by The National Lottery and is supported by Iceland and The Food Warehouse and Greene King. To find out more go to www.TheBigLunch.com or follow us on socials on .
About The National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest community funder in the UK. It supports activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund invests most in places, people and communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.
It is proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. As well as responding to what communities say is important to them, its funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:
1. Come together
2. Be environmentally sustainable
3. Help children and young people thrive
4. Enable people to live healthier lives.
Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, it distributes around Β£500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plans to invest over Β£4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. National Lottery players raise over Β£30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, Β£47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.
About Iceland and The Food Warehouse
Iceland is recognised as the UKβs leader in frozen food and operates over 1,000 stores across the country and it prides itself on being a convenient and friendly place to do the familyβs weekly shop. In 2018 it committed to becoming the first major retailer, globally, to eliminate plastic packaging from all of its own label products by the end of 2023, and to remove palm oil as an ingredient from its own label range by the end of 2018.
About Greene King
Greene King is the countryβs leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland. Itβs passionate about delivering their purpose to βpour happiness into livesβ - for customers, the Greene King team, pub partners, suppliers and the communities in which Greene King live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire they employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
