NEIGHBOURS in Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys are invited to get together to share food and forge stronger bonds at a series of local events.

The Leys Big Lunch returns this year after a hiatus in 2016 and will see the community gather to enjoy a bring-and-share lunch.

At the same time, five £50 'mini-grants' are being offered to groups of residents to host their own street parties over the summer.

The main event on Saturday, September 9 is being organised by local campaign Good Food Oxford and funded by Oxford City Council.

Hannah Fenton, manager of Good Food Oxford, said: "The Big Lunch is a wonderful way to get over our usual shyness and reserve and get to know our neighbours.

"The event will be a chance for everyone in The Leys to get together, and anyone who brings food to share will be entered into the raffle. It will be a lovely day."

The Big Lunch was launched in 2009 by the Eden Project and sees thousands of people across the UK hold events to share food with their friends and neighbours.

This year it has partnered with the Jo Cox Foundation and the Big Iftar, which encourages Muslims to welcome non-Muslims to break the fast with them during Ramadan.

People from across the Leys are invited to bring food along to The Barn in Nightingale Avenue from 12pm to 3pm.

Meanwhile anyone interested in getting cash for supplies at their own Big Lunch event at any time over the summer is encouraged to get in touch.

Ms Fenton said: "We noticed that people actually wanted to meet their immediate next-door neighbours, and that is why we’re offering five £50 mini-grants.

"We can also help with practical things like closing the street for the day."

In March this year, newly-published research from Oxford University used data from the Big Lunch to explore the link between sharing food and individual happiness.

Researchers found that people who eat socially are more likely to feel better about themselves and have a wider social network.

Professor Robin Dunbar, of the university's Experimental Psychology department, said: "In these increasingly fraught times, when community cohesion is ever more important, making time for and joining in communal meals is perhaps the single most important thing we can do both for our own wellbeing and for that of the community."

For more information on the Leys Big Lunch or to apply for help running a Big Lunch in your street email hannah.fenton@goodfoodoxford.org