Yorkshire town lands cash for Big Lunch at Jubilee

a YORKSHIRE community has been chosen to receive special government funding for Diamond Jubilee festivities this summer.

Dewsbury, in West Yorkshire, will be among the first of 20 communities to receive a share of a pot of cash to help pay for this year’s Jubilee-themed Big Lunch, which is aimed at bringing residents together.

The £185,000 fund for the Big Jubilee Lunch is designed to pay for hard-to-reach areas to organise their own event, due to be held on Sunday, June 3, and sow the seeds to encourage future participation.

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The money has been allocated by organisers to selected areas where there has been little or no participation to date, often due to these communities “lacking the leadership and confidence” to host their own.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: “2012 is a year of celebration: both the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games will bring the country to its feet.

“The Big Jubilee Lunch is a unique opportunity to encourage 62 million people from different backgrounds across the UK to get together to build common ground and embed The Big Lunch in the national consciousness for future years.

“By supporting them to take the lead and organise their own Big Jubilee Lunch rather than having it laid on for them, we are paving the way for ongoing community action. People in these areas will realise that together they have the know-how and power to take charge of what happens in their area.”

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There is now just one month to go until the nationwide Big Jubilee Lunch in June and a spokesman said the communities involved were chosen based on a range of criteria which looked at a lack of previous community events, socio-economic factors and geographic spread.

Other areas which will be involved include St Blazey and Par in the South West; East Coseley, Dudley, in the West Midlands; Warsop Parish in Mansfield; Loughborough Junction in Lambeth, Priory Court and Livesey, all in London; Northfleet in the South East; Derwenterwater in the North East; and East Cleveland rural villages in Redcar and Cleveland.