Burn near Selby in Big Lunch 2024 Clothing Bank fundraiser

The little village of Burn, just south of Selby, had its fourteenth Big Lunch and raised more than £370 for The Clothing Bank charity.

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More than 150 people gathered in a marquee on The Wheatsheaf pub carpark to enjoy an afternoon of glorious sunshine, a BBQ, a meet-up with friends and neighbours and musical entertainment from Selby Community Choir with ‘songs from the shows’.

Selby Community Choir with conductor Mary Farman are filmed by the Emergency Ukraine documentary cameraman from Picture Point (Image: Bill Hearld)

Local lorry driver Stuart Davison, who Burn has been supporting on his many trips to Ukraine with humanitarian aid, popped in to meet the people who have helped him fill numerous vans with clothing, food, toiletries and medicines over the last two years for his charity Emergency Ukraine. A documentary film crew accompanied him, keen to capture the contrast of what they called ‘a quintessential English village event’ with the horrors they have filmed in Ukraine with Stuart. He, and the film makers, set off again in a week’s time for one more aid trip.

Village residents enjoy fun and sun at Burn Big Lunch 2024 (Image: Bill Hearld)

The Big Lunch is a community initiative started by the Eden Project in Cornwall, aimed at encouraging people to get together for fun and for charity and get to know their neighbours.

Even though Burn has only around 200 households, the annual event regularly attracts more than 100 and is one of the longest running Big Lunches in the country. Burn’s first lunch was in 2009 and was only interrupted in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, returning with a massive 230 guests in 2022 for the late Queen’s Jubilee.

Burn Parish Council chairman Alice Houlden said: “As ever, Burn showed it really is a little village with a big heart.

"The Big Lunch is a fantastic opportunity to reinforce and build on our great community spirit, welcome new residents and do our bit for charity at the same time.

"Thanks are due to a small army of amazing volunteers, Jo Mosey and Andy Howdall at The Wheatsheaf – and their staff – Morrisons and Tesco for kind donations towards the BBQ and to everyone who donated so generously to our charity for 2024, The Clothing Bank. Well done, Burn!”

Burn Parish Council chairman Alice Houlden welcomes guests (Image: Bill Hearld)

Selby Community Fridge and Sleepsafe Selby, the charity supporting homeless people, also benefitted as spare burger buns and other items were donated after the event.

Tony and Christine Gamble raise a glass at Burn Big Lunch (Image: Bill Hearld)