National celebrations for Diamond Jubilee will take place in 2012. During 2-5 June Buckingham Palace is coordinating a programme of events including a Big Jubilee Lunch on 3 June. Keeping in line with the over-riding royal jubilee theme, for this year’s Big Lunch the council is encouraging residents to get involved in supporting the Big Jubilee Lunch in Croydon. With the aim of making it really simple to apply to hold a party, the council will even cover the costs of closing your road and will provide you with road closure signs – saving your street more than £1,000. All it takes is a 10-minute visit to www.croydon.gov.uk/diamondjubilee or a call to the team of customer services advisers, and the rest will be done for you. You will just need to say where the event is to be held, what sort of facilities will be offered – such as if you plan to sell alcohol or intend to provide catering from an outside source – and when you want to hold it. For further details of last year’s events, and for inspiration and advice on setting up lunches this year, please visit www.thebiglunch.com Communities can also apply to the Big Lottery Fund for funding for a local Big Jubilee Lunch event through the Awards for All Scheme. | 
