Erith residents come together to celebrate ‘The Big Lunch’
Residents at L&Q’s new family-friendly development ‘The Quarry’ host their first ever street party in true ‘The Big Lunch’ style
On Saturday 1 June, more than 150 residents at L&Q’s new eco-development site The Quarry, in Erith, came out to host The Big Lunch street party to get to know one another and learn more about their community.
The Big Lunch is a national campaign led by The Eden Project. It encourages neighbours to get to know each other by taking part in community-led events. Around 6 million people take part in ‘the Big Lunch’ events right across the UK each year.
Keeping with the development’s values of sustainability and ecology, the street party, which took place on The Quarry’s Strata Road on Saturday afternoon, saw families enjoying activities such as face-painting for children and ecology-friendly crafts led by East-London based educational charity ecoACTIVE.
Residents also showed off their own culinary skills by contributing a wide selection of delicious foods from around the world, which showcased the culture and diversity within the community and further encouraged neighbours to learn more about one another. Additional catering was supplied by Erith-based venue The Exchange.
During the event, funds were raised for the local Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice which cares for 2,500 people every year and relies heavily on generous donations from local people. Residents also donated their skills in the form of community pledges, to further encourage relationship building and community support, which included everything from baking to personal training sessions.
Resident Sasha Barnes, one of the first new residents to move into The Quarry last year, was joined by several of her neighbours to organise the event, she said:
“The community feel and family-friendly environment at The Quarry was something we were drawn to when choosing our home. It was fantastic to see so many families and children come along and spend the day together at The Big Lunch, it was the perfect opportunity for everyone to come together and get to know one another. We’re already hoping to do it again next year!”
Lucy Chitty, Sales and Customer Services Director for L&Q’s South region, added:
“The Big Lunch is a fantastic initiative to promote good relationships and strengthen local communities. We are proud to support our residents to establish the family-friendly community spirit that we envisioned for The Quarry.
“The development has been created with residents in mind. We want to ensure that it’s an environment where families and communities can grow, and we’re confident it’s a place people will love living in now and well in into the future. We’re delighted to be able to offer homes to suit everyone’s needs, across a range of affordable price points.”
Spanning 20 hectares, The Quarry, a joint venture development between L&Q and The Anderson Group, is a collection of 600 new homes and a state-of-the-art primary school, built on the former Erith quarry site.
Surrounded by established woodland and with sustainability at its heart, the new eco-development is already breathing new life into the disused quarry. It builds on the local ecology of the area, providing a 3.25 hectare ecology area and ecology corridor for community use.
The next phase of homes, including 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom properties is anticipated to launch later this year. Prospective homebuyers who are interested in joining the new community established at The Quarry should register their interest and follow the development on Facebook and Twitter.