The year it all began

Date: 19 July 2009
Organised by: Deborah and Polly
Weather: gorgeous

This was the first year of the "Bellenden Big Lunch" that brought neighbours and community together. After putting a local call out by Deborah and Polly, it was fantastic to get so many people getting stuck in organising. After we hung out the bunting, and set up the tables, we waited impatiently for the party to start, not knowing who/how/what would appear! But before we knew it, our neighbours came, not just from Bellenden Road, but from the surrounding streets as well. Spontaneously, kids started drawing on the road with chalk; people brought great food, from all corners of the world - Egyptian, Cypriot, Thai, Spanish, Caribbean, Indian, British! Musicians started appearing. It left an amazing impression that set the stage for future years, and created some brilliant new friendships too, amongst neighbours both young and old. One resident, Gwen, had a photo from the street party that took place here for the Queen's 1953 coronation, and with the help of a photographer, we replicated the photo on the day.

Watch a short film made by local resident Jack Kelly of the 2009 Bellenden Big Lunch:

And another one by Felix Gonzales: