Community spirit will be celebrated in Redbridge streets when neighbours sit down for a bite to eat.

Seymour Gardens, and Cavenham Gardens, both in Ilford, will celebrate the national Big Lunch with Royal Wedding-style street parties on Sunday when the roads are closed to traffic.

Bunting is being made, cucumbers chopped for sandwiches and fingers are being crossed ahead of the big day.

Organiser of the Seymour Gardens luncheon, Mike Speakman, said: “We have never done anything like this before so we have no idea of the response.

“There are 80 households in the road, so if half of them turn up it will be 40, so we could have roughly 180 people throughout the day. It’s very exciting.”

In Barkingside, the Cranvale Care Home, Buntingbridge Road, is inviting neighbours to drop by for thei big lunch, including a curry shop, cake stall, home made card sale, egg and spoon race, singer, face-painting and a raffle.

The celebrations will be part of hundreds of street parties going on across the country, which are championed by London Mayor Boris Johnson and Eastender Barbara Windsor.

Last week 300 people sat down to picnic at a 90m table by Tower Bridge, setting the Guinness World Record for the long single picnic bench.