People across Bradford are being urged to get to know their neighbours by inviting them to lunch.

Organisers of The Big Lunch, the UK’s biggest annual get-together for neighbours, are hoping Bradford-ians will join the thousands of other communities across the UK who will be holding local events and street parties on Sunday, June 1.

The Big Lunch idea, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, is to bring communities closer. Now in its sixth year, it is being partnered by Halifax, ASDA and StreetClub by B&Q.

Last year, more than 3.65 million people – including neighbours in Esholt who met up at The Woolpack – took part in Big Lunches.

To help get more people involved this year, free packs are available from thebiglunch.com which include invitations and posters, as well as seeds, bunting templates and a booklet with ideas and information to get started.

Big Lunch co-founder Sir Tim Smit said Big Lunches could be big or small – but not expensive because everyone brought something to the table and people were the key ingredient.

Sir Tim said: “We wanted to create the excuse for each of us to get over the shyness of knocking on a neighbour’s door for a street party and it seems The Big Lunch is exactly what millions of people in thousands of communities have been waiting for.

“The genius of The Big Lunch lies in all those wonderful people who go out and make it their event – each one is different but they share the same instinct to make our neighbourhoods friendlier to live in.”

e-mail: kathie.griffiths@telegraphandargus.co.uk