Almost as if by arrangement, the sun popped through the clouds just before midday last Sunday to join us for the 2010 Big Lunch in Union Terrace Gardens. No small thanks to the sun, the event was really well-attended and most folk remained sitting around on the grass all afternoon enjoying mouth-watering soup and great company.
The soup wasn’t quite as punctual as the sun and turned up ten minutes late to be greeted by a small queue of hungry lunchers already forming. Regular trips back to the Café 52 kitchens during the afternoon saw nobody go hungry and there was a sea of smiling faces as far as the eye could see.
It was heartwarming to see a wide range of people coming down to the Gardens throughout the day. Especially welcome were a number of homeless chaps who were extremely appreciative of the delicious lunch. The generosity of the local cafés and restaurants in giving their leftover produce to a good cause was also very pleasing. There is definitely a gap that needs to be filled there.
For now, ideas are already coming in for next year’s event, so look out for a bigger, better, more delicious lunch next time, but until then enjoy the company of the friends you met at this lunch, get to know your neighbours and invite them down to the next one.
Please get in touch if you have any ideas for next year or just events in general for Aberdeen. I’ll be happy to help and share my experiences from organising this one. Together, we can help culture and community to grow and flourish in Aberdeen.
