The nation will come together in June to honor the Queen as she celebrates her Platinum Jubilee as the first British monarch to do so, and as part of her celebrations, Her Majesty will host a special Big Jubilee Lunch to recognize the importance of community spirit.
The Queen opened the gates of Buckingham Palace to presenter and broadcaster Mel Giedroyc, who hosted a special Big Jubilee Lunch event with ten seasoned party planners, on Friday, as preparations for the Big Jubilee Lunch began.
Specialist planners came from all over the country to discuss their top party-planning tips with Mel for the big weekend at the event, which took place in the palace gardens.
More than 12 million people across the country are planning street parties and community celebrations to commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime event, so it’s great to see the experts on hand to assist with the planning.
“I’m thrilled by all the fantastic top tips I’ve heard today,” Mel said from Buckingham Palace. It’s been a pleasure to share this special moment in the Buckingham Palace Gardens with these inspiring people.
“Everyone can participate in the Big Jubilee Lunch; it’s about having fun and making connections – and I think we’re all ready for a good old knees-up!”
“Anyone, anywhere can participate in The Big Jubilee Lunch, whether it’s a cuppa on your doorstep, a BBQ in your backyard, or a full-fledged street party – it’s simple to do.”
Mel sat at a trestle table with the expert planners, all of whom had their umbrellas up, and not even the rain could stop them. The group discussed how to enlist the help of the neighbors, as well as fun group games to play, recipe suggestions, and street decoration ideas.
Imtiaz Ali, who has lived on the same street in Stoke Newington his entire life and has been organizing Big Lunches since the initiative began in 2009, was one of the planners.
Nureen Glaves, the organizer of Feed Me Good, was also present and gave her expert advice on cooking on a budget.
Nureen, who hails from Shepherd’s Bush, also shared some simple recipe ideas for food that can be shared and reheated, making it ideal for neighborhood street parties.
“The Big Lunch has been bringing neighbors and communities together on the first weekend in June for over a decade, and what an extra special year 2022 is going to be!” said Peter Stewart, Executive Director of The Big Lunch initiative.
“With only two months until a once-in-a-lifetime event, gather your neighbors, rally your street, and prepare to celebrate this historic moment together.”
“I have come away on a bit of a buzz because it is so easy these days to just think the world is a really bad place,” the former Great British Bake Off host told PA media after the event.
“We’re all glued to our news feeds the entire time, and there’s nothing but bad news, whether it’s about Covid or Ukraine or whatever.”
“In fact, taking a couple of hours out of the morning to be with people like this is really nice.” They’re tough, positive, and life-affirming, and they’re doing incredible things in their communities, which is what we’re celebrating.
“It was a great honor to be invited to join them. It was absolutely hilarious. Around the table, the bants (banter) was rife. We’re in desperate need of each other right now.
“It’s a really, really important thing to celebrate community and living close by our fellow human beings,” she added.
