Who Are You Having For Lunch?

Mastercard, in partnership with the Eden Project, are attempting to bring back community spirit into the UK with their latest campaign "the big lunch". From their website:

"Basically, it's a party in your street, in everyone's street. On 19th July we're asking the people of Britain to stop what they're doing and sit down to lunch together. Why? Well for lots of reasons really but mainly to put a smile back on Britain."



For anyone who needs convincing about the importance of community they give some pretty compelling stats:

• According to research conducted by the BBC last year, 97% of UK communities have become more fragmented in the last 30 years.
• "Even the weakest communities in 1971 were stronger than any community now." -Professor Daniel Dorling
  
• In April of last year, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation conducted a survey of 3,500 people. Their biggest single concern, across the social spectrum, was that communities are weak and people are increasingly isolated from their neighbours.
• Numerous studies around the world show that there is almost a mathematical correlation between people's sense of security and happiness and the number of neighbours they actively know.