Comedian John Bishop is joining forces with the Month of Community initiative to encourage people to “Say Hello” and make new connections with their neighbours, celebrate some great causes and help build stronger communities across the UK.
The Month of Community is supported by Volunteers’ Week, The Big Lunch, Neighbourhood Watch Week, Careers Week, The Great Get Together and Loneliness Awareness Week among others all of which focus on creating connected and supportive community networks.
John launched his “Say Hello” campaign during a recent ‘Right Here Right Now’ UK tour, to encourage audience members to wear badges with the words, “Say Hello” written on them. The idea was to help people start conversations and make new connections by simply saying “hello” to one another.
Now John is sharing his idea by teaming up with the Month of Community, which takes place across June this year, and aims to encourage whole neighbourhoods and communities to “Say Hello” to each other and build new friendships and connections.
Organisers of events across The Month of Community will be able to download and print out their own “Say Hello” badges along with free information packs at http://www.monthofcommunity.com.
The Month of Community is an idea that grew out of the UK’s annual Big Lunch initiative and is a collaborative approach that brings together a whole coalition of community groups and some of the UK’s best-known charities who all focus on building supportive, better connected communities where people know one another better.
“John’s ‘Say Hello’ initiative aligns perfectly with the Month of Community which is all about supporting our communities and making connections with the people around us,” Peter Stewart, Executive Director of the Eden Project, which is behind The Big Lunch initiative, said. “June is a special month when we can focus our attention on reaching out to one another to create better connected, stronger communities – from The Big Lunch and Refugee Week to Thank You Day and Small Charities Week and many more besides. The simple idea of saying hello to people is a positive step we can all take to start a good old fashioned conversation – that’s why it’s so brilliant to include the idea as part of the Month of Community.”
Last year, over 15 million people took part in the first ever Month of Community, and this year it’s going to be even bigger and better. Jam-packed with brilliant causes, this June will see millions get together with their neighbours for The Big Lunch (2-5 June), with the fun continuing during Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), Loneliness Awareness Week (June 13-17) and beyond, as many more charities get involved.
So don’t miss out, join in this June – whether you want to say cheers to volunteers, connect with your neighbours, support a cause you care about, or simply to say thank you, it’s all part of the Month of Community!
