The total number of people who took part in a Coronation Big Lunch has been revealed.
Almost twenty per cent of the population of the UK enjoyed a celebration to mark the moment that King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned.
The Eden Project, which organises the community events, said that 13.4 million people across the country took part in a Coronation Big Lunch.
The celebrations also raised £14.4 million, with at least 75% of that money earmarked for local community causes.
Queen Camilla is the patron of the Big Lunch while several members of the Royal Family got involved in events for the Coronation including the Duke of Edinburgh, who took part in a celebration at Westminster Abbey just before May 6th and the Prince and Princess of Wales who joined the party in Windsor as Coronation weekend unfolded. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie also headed out to an event as did the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The figures were announced at the start of the Month of Community which celebrates the work of volunteers and encourages people to come together to raise awareness of what makes a community special.
As the Month of Community began, Big Lunch ambassador, Dame Prue Leith, said ”Millions of people had Big Lunch celebrations in parks and highstreets across the UK. Such a great way to bring people from different backgrounds together. Wouldn’t it be good to keep up that spirit of community and engagement? Happily the Month of Community this June offers a chance to do that.”
New research also shows that many in the UK believe that communities rely heavily on volunteers. A survey by YouGov, commissioned by the Eden Project, showed that 80% of those asked think that the country would struggle to cope without the support offered by volunteers while 54% say they want to donate time or goods but feel less able to than a year ago because of the cost of living crisis.
Peter Stewart LVO, Chief Purpose Officer at Eden Project Communities, said ”There’s no better opportunity than the Month of Community to celebrate and show your appreciation to each other and good causes – whether it’s by holding a Big Lunch to say thanks to some volunteers, sprucing up a local green space for Great Big Green Week or reaching out to an elderly neighbour for Loneliness Awareness Week.”
There’s more information about getting involved in the Month of Community at the official Big Lunch website.