The Coronation will take place on the morning of Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey, London. Thousands of street parties, and a day dedicated to good causes – will bring communities together over special Bank Holiday Coronation weekend.
Everyone is being invited to join in, on any day, whether by hosting Big Lunch street party or stepping forward during The Big Help Out to profile causes that matter to them.
The weekend of celebrations will end with the Big Help Out on Monday 8 May – a special Bank Holiday proclaimed by the Prime Minister in honour of the Coronation.
Speaking about the weekend of events, Bishop Graham says, “As we celebrate the Coronation, what better way to mark these days than to invite people into church or to events for the wider community? As The King and The Queen Consort pledge themselves before God to serve others, we too can as well. The Big Help Out is a fantastic opportunity for communities to be involved with volunteering. Helping with cleaning the church hall to doing some conservation work in the churchyard, making tea’s and baking scones, signing up to help with a food bank, repairing things or organising social event for refugees . . . there’s a whole host of things we could do together to serve each other and get to know one another better.”
The Big Lunch is being organised by the Eden project who’ve been running this event for many years now. Created and organised by The Together Coalition, the Big Help Out will highlight the positive impact volunteering has on communities across the nation.
The weekend is a wonderful chance for your church to host an event and welcome the local community in. Why not host a picnic or lunch in the church? Or build in another event you usually hold around this time and making it a Coronation event?
Monday 8 May is also a perfect opportunity to highlight any volunteering opportunities you might have. Or perhaps your church would like to start a new group and you need volunteers – this would be a great time to promote and get people signed up! Or perhaps you are hoping to start a Friends group – why not use the Big Help Out to encourage volunteers?