A ROADSHOW is being staged in the St Austell area on Sunday (May 19) as part of the Eden Project’s Big Lunch campaign.

The gathering at Treverbyn Community Hall, Stenalees, which will include a mini-Big Lunch, is aiming to bring community-minded people together to connect with each other and nature.

The interactive day, from 10am to 3pm, will be encouraging people to share friendship, food and fun where they live.

The free event will highlight projects already making a difference locally and provide practical workshops and creative ideas on stimulating more community spirit.

The guest speaker will be Pat Smith, also known as Action Nan, who co-founded the Final Straw Cornwall campaign to reduce single-use plastic and litter.

Pat, who lives in the St Austell area, said: “I’m so looking forward to getting involved with this fantastic event, all about inspiring people to come together to make a positive difference in their communities.

“I’m so passionate about doing what we can to protect the natural resources and beauty that we have in such abundance in Cornwall.

“I’ll be sharing more about our journey and chatting with attendees about taking that all-important first step to making change.”

Those attending will be able to turn fishing nets collected from Cornish beaches into hanging terrariums to take home. A further workshop will give people a chance to create bunting inspired by community connection.

Rounding off the event will be the mini-Big Lunch, with people sharing locally-sourced food and getting to know each other better.

Annabel Wills, community network developer at Eden Project Communities, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to bring our passion for community connection to St Austell, so close to Eden Project Cornwall’s home.

“With some wonderful projects already in place, we hope more local people will be inspired to chat to their neighbours, volunteer where they live or embark on their own community activity.

“Whether you have a burning idea for a project, or you fancy organising a Big Lunch on your street and seeing what comes from it, we hope all our guests leave feeling motivated to make a difference in their neighbourhood!”

The afternoon is part of a series of nationwide community-focused events aiming to showcase simple and fun ways to bring people together. The roadshow hopes to encourage more people to become changemakers and get something positive started in their communities on the Big Lunch weekend of June 1 and 2.

The Big Lunch is an annual nationwide celebration for neighbours and communities, first started by the Eden Project in 2010 and backed by the National Lottery.

Places are limited and booking is required for the event on Sunday. To book your place visit: https://events.more-human.co.uk/event/crafting-conversations-and-connections--with-eden-project-communities-events