Loved by children of all ages, The Gruffalo made a special visit to The Indian Big Lunch, in celebration of the Month of Community.
The Big Lunch is the UK’s annual community celebration and has been bringing neighbours and communities together on the first weekend in June since 2009.
The Big Lunch is part of a whole Month of Community and to mark the much-loved Julia Donaldson character, The Gruffalo, travelled to Northern Ireland, popping in to say thank you to many of the people hosting The Big Lunch or who held The Big Jubilee Lunch this year.
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ImageNation NI was started in 2010 to bring the Indian community together and its founder Sanjay Ghosh was able to identify the needs of the growing Indian community and started the voluntary organisation to keep the culture and heritage alive.
It has organised multi-cultural events and worked alongside leading organisations including Belfast City Council and Arts Council Northern Ireland.
The committee has adopted the vision to have an inclusive Indian community integrated in Northern Ireland with objectives such as to build a bridge between diverse Indian communities and the wider NI community through good relations.
Sanjay said: “ImageNation NI has been participating in The Big Lunch since 2020, firstly virtually to help stay connected as a cultural community through the pandemic and delighted hosting this in person has been so popular.
“It was an honour to have the Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Christina Black attend and take time to get to know us and enjoy a quick bite of Indian cuisine. Stories were shared, food was enjoyed, games were played between children and adults.
“Young and old, all had fun together, and the icing on the cake was a visit from The Gruffalo. I would like to thank the Eden Project Communities team in Northern Ireland for all the help and support we receive as part of the network.”
Magic Light Pictures is a long term supporter of The Big Lunch, recognising the difference it makes to live in a community where people know one another.
Grainne McCloskey, Northern Ireland Manager of Eden Project Communities, said: "We wanted to do something to celebrate the intergenerational joy of The Big Lunch and how it enables us all to stop the daily toil and just spend some fun time together as a community.
"With thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund and our sponsors, The Big Lunch continues to bring people together. Having the Gruffalo here is a lovely way for us to say ‘hello’ and thank people for bringing their community together with The Big Lunch and Big Jubilee Lunch."
For more information on The Big Lunch and how you can get involved in celebrating the Month of Community, please visit www.thebiglunch.com.
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