Press release
13 April 2012
'No one should eat alone this Jubilee Weekend’ say Salisbury’s Church leaders
Salisbury locals may notice a surge in community spirit in the lead up to June’s Jubilee weekend thanks to
an initiative backed by twenty two of the city's churches.
The Churches Community Action Group, a sub-group of Churches Together in Salisbury, is hosting its own
'Big Jubilee Weekend' of events to tie in with the national Big Jubilee Lunch campaign, aimed at bringing
the Jubilee celebrations to even the most isolated and vulnerable of Salisbury's residents.
The Big Jubilee Lunch is part of the official programme of events to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
on Sunday June 3rd and has Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall as its patron. Led by the Eden
Project, the aim of The Big Lunch is to encourage neighbourhoods to come together to share lunch and a
few hours of community, friendship and fun. 2012 marks the fourth year of the Lottery funded initiative
which last year saw the best part of two million people get together in their communities. A record number
of people in the South West are expected to get involved as part of the Diamond Jubilee Weekend
celebrations.
The weekend's activities will kick-off with a day of community action which will see over 300 members of
local churches placed in small teams, tasked with carrying out a number of different tasks for local
residents, including painting and decorating, gardening, tidying and cleaning. Each team of volunteers will
be led by a member of St. Paul's Church and will help a range of people, from those diagnosed with a
mental health disorders, to the elderly and disabled.
Jon Langford, Associate Leader at St. Paul's Church and key organiser of Salisbury's Big Jubilee Weekend,
comments: "The whole purpose of the weekend is to provide our church members with the chance to put
their faith into action and serve local residents. We want the whole weekend to be an opportunity to help
build relationships with our neighbours, to reach out to those so often overlooked, and, most importantly,
to be good news for our city.
"All our volunteers will be recruited from local churches and all ages are welcome to take part; we urge all
our members to get involved in any way they can."
The Saturday will wrap up in style, with a big night out planned for the evening. Held in the grounds of the
Salisbury Cathedral School and hosted by the Bishop of Salisbury, the event will have everything from live
music, fun activities and a barbeque on a fittingly 'big' scale to keep guests of all ages entertained.
Jon adds: "As part of our mission statement of inclusion and community for the weekend, we’re selling the
tickets with a plus one included and, not only encouraging team members to come along to celebrate their
hard work, but also to bring along either someone they helped during the day or any other persons in need
from their local community."
On Sunday 3rd June, the churches will join the thousands of Big Lunches taking place across the country,
devoting the day to bringing the people of Salisbury together through food.
Jon continues: "We plan to have churches all over the city, and from all denominations, hosting Big
Lunches; either alone or in collaboration with other churches. We're also encouraging members to host
street parties and invite people into their homes for the day to enjoy a meal together. Our main aim is
simple - that the Church should be at the forefront of ensuring that no one eats alone this Jubilee weekend.
"The Big Lunch is all about getting to know your neighbours and bringing communities together, so it's a
perfect partner to our day of volunteering and community service on the Saturday.
“We urge as many people in Salisbury as possible to find out more about the Big Jubilee Lunch and our
weekend’s activities, and to get involved in any way possible; whether that's volunteering, hosting a Big
Lunch or simply attending one with your neighbours."
The Big Lunch is led by the Eden Project and made possible thanks to funders Big Lottery Fund and partners
MasterCard, EDF Energy, Kingsmill and Asda.
Tim Smit KBE, Chief Executive of the Eden Project said: "Britain has a rich heritage of organising street
parties for Royal celebrations. We're honoured to be part of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend, and
we're sure millions of people will break bread together on 3rd June, making this the biggest Big Lunch yet."
Mark Cotton, Head of Region, at the Big Lottery Fund said: “The Big Lottery Fund is once again delighted to
help The Big Lunch continue to help strengthen community ties. There seems to be a real ground swell of
interest in organising Big Jubilee Lunches across the South West. We hope that more people in the region
than ever will take part in events just like this one in their communities this summer.”
For more information on any of Salisbury's weekend of events, you can contact Jon Langford at
jon.langford@stpaulssalisbury.org, or visit www.thebiglunch.com to request a free starter pack.
ENDS
Media Enquiries
For further information please contact Phillippa Holmes on 0121 384 2711 / PHolmes@golleyslater.co.uk
For further information visit www.thebiglunch.com and http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/big-jubileelunch
Notes to Editors
1. The Big Lunch is led by the Eden Project and encourages people across the UK to have lunch with their
neighbours, once a year, as a simple act of community, friendship and fun. It aims to help create
stronger, more sustainable communities, by encouraging people to start talking and to take a more
active role on their doorstep.
2. The Big Jubilee Lunch has received a message of support from The Queen. In addition, more than 50 of
the UK’s largest community groups, membership organisations and charities are supporting the BJL,
including the Scout Association, Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, Neighbourhood Watch
and Age UK.
3. Big Jubilee Lunch information packs are free and include invitations, posters, a wall planner, recipes and
stickers as well as a copy of The Queen’s message of support to organisers. Packs can be obtained by
logging on to www.thebiglunch.com or calling 0845 850 8181.