Families enjoy cross-community Big Lunch

Families enjoy cross-community Big Lunch

7 July 2021

PEOPLE in Ballynahinch have taken part in a special event designed to celebrate and give thanks to their neighbours and communities.

The so-called Big Lunch picnic was held at the town’s High School playing fields last Saturday and was graced by fine summer weather.

Families from the cross-community Ballynahinch Community Collective group gathered for the big picnic and were delighted to meet up after months’ of lockdown.

The Big Lunch — which kick-started a month of people across Northern Ireland holding a range of community get-togethers as part of the ‘month of community’ has proven that people are delighted to be able to re-connect with each other. 

In towns, villages, neighbourhoods and rural areas, people have been sitting down to share food in some small and safe way.  

Event organiser, Audrey Slater, said the emphasis was on doing something as a group as contact over the past 15 months has been online due to coronavirus restrictions.

“We organised our get together in the grounds of Ballynahinch High School and it was the perfect opportunity to thank those around us who have been such a support as well as the people who made today a huge success,” she said.

“Everyone had a ball and really benefited from the face-to-face contact. We all brought our own picnic and we had Brennan’s ice-cream van, with local coffee and refreshments from Harry’s Place CIC.

“The Community Tribal Drummers from Newcastle — were amazing with the kids — and a lovely girl called Toni Campbell ‘The Professional Princess’ who offered to provide entertainment with giant bubbles as well as support from other local businesses in the town.”

Audrey said lockdown restrictions have been tough on everyone, describing last Saturday’s big lunch as a “wonderful event for the community to be able to get together again to enjoy good company, great food and craic”.

Northern Ireland’s manager of The Big Lunch, Grainne McCloskey, said the “wonderful event” is a perfect example of everything The Big Lunch is about.

“This year, there is an appetite not just to reconnect where we live but also the desire to do something to hold onto the community spirit that many of us experienced during lockdown.” 

The aim of the big lunch project is that for a few hours, shyness will take a back 

seat and people will come together to meet, greet, share food and fun. 

Event organisers say it is all about connecting with communities, creating a sense of belonging, a celebration of positivity and pride in people’s respective areas.