Northern neighbours want to make a difference but don’t know where to start

Halifax is proud to have partnered with The Big Lunch

According to new YouGov research published today (20 May) by Halifax, 33% of Northerners who consider themselves to live in a neighbourhood feel that a general lack of a sense of community is a real social issue in their neighbourhood, and 25% feel that having no community activities or opportunities to get together was also a problem.

Other issues, such as no pride in the neighbourhood, resulting in graffiti and littering (27%); or people feeling isolated from their neighbours or community (18%), were also perceived as key social problems in local areas.

The majority of those surveyed (57%) feel that local residents and neighbours know best about dealing with these social issues in their community. A larger number (60%) stated that it is the responsibility of residents and neighbours to help create a sense of local community, while many (32%) also feel local businesses share this responsibility.

Three-quarters ( 75%) of people admitted that they had never taken part in any community activity to help tackle local issues. Many feel that this is because they don’t know what to do or how to do anything about it (30%) or because nobody has asked them to help (29%), while for some it comes down to feeling they have a lack of time (22%).

As one of the UK’s best known banking brands, helping customers to buy their own homes and become a part of their local community for over 150 years, Halifax wants to do its bit to bring neighbours together and make a difference where they live through supporting The Big Lunch.

Halifax is  partnered with The Big lunch, an existing community initiative led by the Eden Project. Established in 2009 The Big Lunch is made possible thanks to funding from the Big Lottery Fund. The idea is simple; to get as many people across the UK as possible to have lunch with their neighbours on the first Sunday in June each year. Participation has grown from 900,000 in 2009 to 8.5 million in June 2012 when The Jubilee Big Lunch was part of the official celebration events for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, as announced by Buckingham Palace.

According to Big Lunch research, 82% of people attending say they felt closer to their neighbours as a result of The Big Lunch. 74% of Big Lunchers identified a stronger sense of community after their event and for these reasons, Halifax is supporting The Big Lunch in encouraging people to take the first step to making a difference in their local community and bring their neighbourhoods alive.

David Nicholson, Group Director, Halifax Community Bank said: “Halifax has been part of Britain’s communities for over 150 years, which is why we want to inspire and support people all over Britain, to create positive communities together. We believe that The Big Lunch is a fantastic way to start building relationships within local neighbourhoods.”

Sarah Beeny, Halifax’s Big Lunch Ambassador said: “The Big Lunch is a great way to get to know people in your local area and to start conversations about what you’d like to improve in your neighbourhood. As Halifax’s research shows, we all want to make the best of our communities and this is a fantastic way to start.