The third Great Get Together united a record number of people with participation more than doubling from 2018 with over 11,000 events hosting around 720,000 people – that’s equivalent to the entire population of Leeds.

Connections were made in every corner of the country, stretching from Orkney to Jersey and from Lowestoft to Derry-Londonderry. We held special launch events across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland which inspired even more people to get involved.

As we have done in 2017 and 2018, we made sure to ask people how they felt about The Great Get Together and if they felt it was working.

• 71% of those surveyed said the Great Get Together helped unite their community
• 51% of attendees said that they met someone new
• 71% told us that the Great Get Together helped them feel less lonely
• 66% felt more hopeful about the future
• 83% of people said they felt positive about the Great Get Together

In the press

People didn’t have to attend The Great Get Together to appreciate the ‘more in common’ message. Traditional and digital media helped us reach even more people between our launch in April and the weekend in June.

• 33 million unique social media users were reached
• 59.4 million impressions
• 636 print, online, and broadcast pieces published
• 80% of coverage came from regional media
• 18% increase in social media conversation over the previous year
• 43% increase in media coverage over the previous year

In the community

The Great Get Together just wouldn’t happen without the thousands of volunteers from every part of the country, who help bring their communities together. And this nationwide community is growing every year!

• One quarter of Great Get Together attendees said they felt inspired to host their own event
• More than three quarters of Great Get Together organisers told us they planned to take part again in the future
• 1,600 event packs, which include bunting, invitations and posters were requested - doubling the previous year’s amount

Our community organisers weren’t the only ones making new connections, as we partnered with new organisations to help us reach even more people. Thanks to:

• Breaking Boundaries and the Youth Sport Trust who empower youth organisers to unite their communities through cricket
• The Women’s Institute (WI) collaborated with us on a digital toolkit, which included gingham craft activities that helped their membership get involved in The Great Get Together on a national scale
• The Royal British Legion helped their membership combat loneliness and reach out beyond their own communities through The Great Get Together

This is on top of our existing partners, which hosted a range of fantastic events over the Great Get Together weekend.

In your words

It’s not just the numbers that tell the story. Read more about the best bits below.

“My highlight was a neighbour in his 80s, whose wife has recently gone into a nursing home. He eventually left us after 11pm. What a success! We have invited him to start watching our sons play football as we can collect him, provide a chair, and take him home again afterwards. All the community vowed to do more for David.” – Fiona from Stockport

“Ladywood has received a lot of adverse press recently, due to a horrific street murder. We countered this with a Great Get Together street party attended by over 350 multi-racial people. It was amazing to see a millionaire having a cuppa with a homeless refugee, Muslims talking with Jews, Sikhs talking with Hindus, and young talking with elderly.” – Andrew from Birmingham

“A young lad came in and was asked if he would like to come and join us and he declined. A little later he came back and said he had changed his mind and asked if it was too late. He sat and chatted with one of our library friends and actually needed help so we have been able to put him in touch with an organisation that can help.” – Helen from Norfolk