BIG LUNCH

At St Mary's Triangle, Clarendon Park, for The Big Lunch – a local contribution to a national string of activities  inspired by The Eden Project. This local event was organised by a group of three women from Holy Trinity Church, on Regent Road. They (plus one bloke blowing up balloons) are the only ones there when Harry and I arrive shortly before 1300, but numbers soon swell. At its peak there are at least 30 people gathered on a fairly small patch of public land hiding in plain sight halfway down (or up) on Victoria Park Road: little known, little used green space, quiet and well preserved and just the other side of the road from one of the city's largest and most popular parks.

The food and drink everyone brings is pooled, tables are nicely laid out with proper china tea sets. Gazebos are dotted around, fun and games abound with a giant snakes and ladders, Frisbees and footballs. Props to Leon Charikar for services above and beyond the call of duty for keeping my children (especially Gracie) busy and entertained. If they sleep well tonight, it's largely down to him! Harry got to make a wallet out of a juice carton. Gracie struggled with learning how to cast on (knitting is a very popular activity today).

As always, when meeting a bunch of people for the first time (and there were many of those), I get to talk about my work, to some sympathetic ears. It's a weekend of diversity – but with a difference. Here's another lively example of what Leicester is good at, if not presented in a way that plays up to the stereotype of a multicultural city. the national organisers give a whole load of reasons for doing this, which I quote here:

To stoke up community spirit – we call it Human Warming.

To make the third of us who live alone feel happier, closer and friendlier.


To show how local people can change a neighbourhood for good, forever.


To conquer our natural shyness, to open our curtains, doors and minds and look out for one another the way we used to.


To share stories, skills and tools, so we all end up richer in every sense.


To discover common ground across age, class, faith, race and the garden fence, and to remind ourselves that charity begins at home, or at most, a couple of doors away.

Some people are doing it to promote a cause of common interest or to raise funds for an appropriate charitable purpose. We're not doing that as a group here today, although some attendees take the opportunity to spread the word and solicit opinion about issues of concern locally.

On The Big Lunch's own blog it says, "Today The Big Lunch has inspired an estimated one million people to participate in a lunch with their neighbours across the UK – a fantastic turn out and a big thank you to everyone who took part and organised their very own Big Lunch."

To find out how The Big Lunch went today – and in anticipation of The Big Lunch 2011, when you, faithful reader, might be able to join in if you haven't done so already –  visit their own blog, which is crammed full of entertaining, inspiring and interesting content.