Une journée magnifique !

Well, what a day it was yesterday – we had the luck to be blessed with fantastic weather which always has a big impact on the street party’s success and everyone who attended seemed to have had a great day.

Will blog a longer post later in the week once all of the photos have been collated but just to leave you with 2 photos from either end of the event.

Firstly Alan Butler, who with his wife Doreen is celebrating 50 years in Queens Road this year, cutting the ribbon to open “Le Big Lunch” and then some fireworks which we set off in the evening to ensure we had an authentic Bastille Day celebration, as no French fête on 14th July would be complete without “les feux d’artifices”.

Thanks to everyone who attended, helped organise, supported, donated goods or their own time to help us make the 5th Anniversary Big Lunch Street Party in Queens Road such a magnificent day.

Running Order

Here is the full running order of events and activities for Sunday’s Le Big Lunch street party. Thanks again to Dewi http://www.DewiDesigns.co.uk/ for his hard work on the graphic design.

Click to access Le%20Big%20Lunch_Menu.pdf

Queens Road Closure Notice

Please see below the closure order that Cherwell District Council have issued to enable us to close the street for the street party on Sunday 14th July.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzpu8bzli97wp8i/Queens%20Road%20Closure%20Notice.doc

Le Big Lunch Foodbank Collection

Please see the following link for more info about the foodbank collection we are doing.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qvgrcv7jlfu4fc0/QR%20Le%20Big%20Lunch%20Food%20Bank%20Collection.docx

Le Big Lunch tunes

Check out the link above to listen to a range of French music put together for Le Big Lunch

All you need to know about Le Big Lunch 2013

Bonjour ! Over the next few days, members of the organising team will be going door to door talking to residents and giving them a hard copy letter with all of these details but in case you mislay them, here they are to refer to.

Click to access Communication%20to%20Residents%20June%202013.pdf

Any questions? Let the team know.

Nearly less than 2 weeks to go!

Well, two weeks on Sunday the Queens Road Big Jubilee Lunch takes place so here is a final reminder of all of the info you need (it will be less than two weeks when they get distributed on Sunday afternoon !)

So what do you need to do?

So it is 6th May today – only FOUR weeks until the Queens Road Big Jubilee Lunch Street Party, so time to update everyone.

What you need to do:

Ensure you enjoy a safe street party – keep an eye on your houses (lock doors) & your children’s safety!

Bring:

A chair, crockery & cutlery for all of your attendees and this year TABLES for you to sit at – garden, tressle, pasting or dining will do – they’ll be lined up in true Street Party style.

Some food & drink to share with your friends & neighbours – savoury dishes from the post box side of the street OX16 0EB postcodes & sweet from the OX16 0ED side – please label any food with a description if it is not obvious what it is.

Some money to bid with at the Promises & Goods Auction – should be great fun!

Umbrellas, parasols & gazebos if you have them – to keep off the sun of course 😉

Cars:

The street will be closed between 10am & 6pm and so we would ask you to kindly remove your cars from the street, ideally by 9am latest, so that we can set up for the street party.

Competitions:

If you want to enter a cake into the Diamond Jubilee cake competition you need to think about how you will DECORATE the best Diamond Jubilee themed cake as this year’s cake comp will be judged on looks rather than taste. The best one will win a prize & be auctioned off during the Promises & Goods Auction at the Big Lunch.

Start tidying up frontages and finding out the bunting & decorations as we again are going to have a prize for Queens Road’s best dressed house. It doesn’t have to be themed on the Diamond Jubilee but we are having a traditional street party this year so give it some thought !

The final competition is for the kiddies – we are going to ask them to paint / draw / colour a portrait of the Queen to celebrate The Big Jubilee Lunch being linked to the nationwide celebrations – again there will be a prize for the best one !

Going going gone!!

With less than a month to go we are intensifying activities to get everything ready for the street party.

One of the main elements of our Jubilee Street Party will be an auction of Promises & Goods so we are trying to get folks to donate their skills or items.

If you have anything to offer (suggestions below) please contact John Haywood at No.1 email a.j.haywood@hotmail.co.uk
Tel 01295 257587

Annual crisis of confidence

Well, it is that time of year again when I start to get a wobble on. This Friday is the first meeting of the year for The Queens Road Big Lunch Street Party and as per last year I am a bit uncertain as to whether I am going to be stood in an empty room talking to myself.

Last year I was very close to stepping away from the organisation of the QR Big Lunch and to chalk it up as a one year wonder as during the winter I struggled to generate much interest and I’d also had a couple of bad experiences with a group of young boys hurling abuse at me for being bigger than the average, kids from a community I was prepared to put myself out for and it kind of questioned my faith in what I was doing.

I challenged my friends and neighbours to prove me wrong and to restore my faith in human nature by turning up, being enthusiastic and participating in the organisation and running of the 2010 Big Lunch which they did in spades – they were the most fantastic bunch of people and we had an amazing time in the process of organising the street party – lots of regular meetings and hard work but what a sense of community spirit – drinks and nibbles, laughs and gossip – even a BBQ one night – we had a right good time and that was before the Street Party even happened!!

That was something else and everyone of the approx 250 people seemed to have a great day – all ages, adults and children, all backgrounds and nationalities – it truly was what the Big Lunch call the human warming effect.

And in the immediate aftermath everyone says “let’s do it all again next year” and then for a few months things go cold – literally and figuratively as the winter months roll by and we all focus on our day to day lives, Christmas and New Year and then little by little thoughts turn to the Spring and the Summer and normally July and the Queens Road Big Lunch. However, this year the Big Lunch has been pulled forward to 5th June and so preparations need to start in February.

Hence the community meeting this Friday 11th at 7pm at the Church House – this time though it is not just about the street party; sure a big part of the agenda is about that but a big part is also to get input about what all this might lead to – we have ideas about a website, about other social action / social activities and need to get direction from you, the good people of Queens Road as to how we move forward – do we stick with the annual jamboree in the street, if that is enough, or do we make something more of the heat of human warming generated in Queens Rd.

When 7pm comes on Friday and I’m in that room I hope to get my answer…..