Big Lunch Events 2026 

Community spirit shines at Big Lunch events in Clacton and Harwich

Sandwiches, games and time together celebrated community spirit with a series of Big Lunch events in Clacton, Walton and Harwich.

The Big Lunch is a national annual event aimed at bringing people together.  This year The Big Lunch and The Big Help Out teamed up from June 5 to 8 to combine friendship, food and action.  Community Voluntary Services Tendring (CVST) organised four events to celebrate, with volunteers leading activities.

In Harwich, the Friendship and Bereavement Café and the Crafty Hub both had special events during their weekly groups, which included a quiz to get to know each other, and sausage rolls, cakes and donuts donated by Morrisons funded from their May book stall.  Tracy Lawrie, communities manager at CVST, said: “We invited our members and volunteers to wear hats – either shop bought or homemade – and had some fantastic outfits and incredible hats on show.  It was a lovely time celebrating community and friendship and taking time to get to know each other more with a little game – we all wrote a fact about ourselves anonymously on a piece of paper and put them in a hat, we then guessed who the facts were about.”

In Clacton a group of cyclists set off from Clacton Pier, enjoying a scenic coastal ride to The Naze in Walton.

On arrival, they were joined by other members of the community for a picnic before many then set out for a leisurely walk around The Naze, making the most of the area’s natural beauty.  On Wednesday, the Walton Friendship and Bereavement Café came together for a buffet lunch.  Tracy added: “It’s been fantastic to see so many people come together for our Big Lunch events.  These moments help strengthen our community and bring people closer together.  We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and to Morrisons for their generous donation.  And importantly thank you to the volunteers of the groups, the cycle leaders and walk leaders – without them these events couldn’t have happened.”

For more information on CVST’s events at it’s hubs in Clacton and Hub, or weekly events and activities, visit www.cvstendring.org.uk