ANYONE can experience loneliness.

Whatever your age, wherever you live and regardless of culture you can feel lonely and isolated - and even more so today as our society turns more towards technology to communicate.

Conscious of the need to tackle loneliness in her community, Nageena Khan has been busy organising events to get people together.

Nageena hosted the first Big Lunch in 2012 following her involvement with the Neighbourhood Approaches to Loneliness Programme, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which identified issues around loneliness within Bradford Moor.

Keen to make a difference, Nageena set up a confidence building group in the area to try and empower local residents to be able to make a positive change in their community with, she says, ‘a clear focus on loneliness.’

Get2Gether (Mil Jul), the charity organisation she has since set up, focuses on initiatives for people to meet in safe places, share culture and skills with the aim of breaking down barriers.

The charity hosts many events including the popular Cultural Community markets, attracting more than 800 visitors.

The Big Lunch event is another initiative Nageena is busy promoting.

This year’s event takes place on June 12 but as it falls during the month of Ramadan, Nageena is hosting her own version at 9.42pm on June 11 to enable her community to celebrate at sunset (Iftari time).

Nageena explains how many people in her community deliver iftar platters to neighbours as a way of spreading Ramadan cheer and spirit.

“This opens up the lines of communication, appreciation and understanding between people,” says Nageena.

“This is indeed a good tradition and I want to take this one step further by hosting a Big Lunar Lunch at iftari time.”

Now Nageena wants to encourage people to take part in the Big Lunar lunch. “Let’s share our stories, our love of food and our community and make this a really positive event that will inspire others to continue, even beyond Ramadan,” she says.

Tracey Robbins, Community development Delivery Manager with the Eden Project, an educational charity, which launched the Big Lunch eight years ago, says:

“This is their major outreach programme, getting local people to connect to each other and where people live and their own environment.”

By getting people together, the Big Lunch - made possible by the Big Lottery Fund - is also helping to tackle the widely reported issue of loneliness that exists among the young and old within our communities.

With more than two thirds of adults in the UK saying they feel lonely either often, always or sometimes, and one in 10 people saying they do not know their neighbours at all, initiatives like The Big Lunch are increasingly important.

Hosting events such as The Big Lunch brings people together through sharing food and, by doing so, can foster friendships and can keep people connected.

“Last year 7.2 million people took part in the Big Lunch and the vision is people will have lunch with their neighbours and make these informed relationships and networks and build foundations for resilient neighbourhoods and communities, connecting people to each other, where they live, and it has been really successful,” adds Tracey.

Now she is encouraging everyone in the UK to sit down to a Big Lunch event on June 12. A special pre-launch, invitation only, event takes place on Thursday, May 26, outside the Midland Hotel, Bradford. The fact that it is taking place at night will promote the Lunar lunch.

“It really feeds into the month of Ramadam. It is all about re-connecting to their neighbours and it makes sense for them to do that,” said Tracey, referring to the Get2Gether event in Bradford Moor.

“They have held a Big Lunch for the past three years so I think the project with Nageena and the women’s group is amazing, they have just flourished.”

The aim of the Lunar lunch is for people throughout the UK who may be fasting, working or sleeping due to shift work during the day, to host a Big Lunar lunch at sunset.

“A lot of people don’t have a traditional lunchtime any more,” says Tracey.

“They work a 24 hour day so we are trying to promote the lunar lunch to encourage people who work shifts to have a lunar lunch and particularly those people who are fasting because people want to join in.”

For more information about the Big Lunch visit thebiglunch.com.