THE NSPCC is calling on people in the Vale of Glamorgan to get together to create a fabulous, creative or unusual lunch on Wednesday, September 17, as part of its UK-wide Big Packed Lunch campaign, and to donate the money they would otherwise have spent on a "same old, same old" lunch to help fund its ChildLine Schools Service.

Whether you stage a fancy lunch with cucumber sandwiches and scones, a children’s meal with jelly and fish finger sandwiches, or an indoor picnic, the idea is simple – pick a date for your lunch, invite your guests, make sure they all bring some delicious food to share, make a donation to the NSPCC, then gather round and get stuck in!

For anyone who feels like adding a bit of competition to their lunch, hosts could encourage their guests to blind-taste each other’s dishes and rate them ‘Come lunch with me’ style.

NSPCC fundraiser Nigel Impey said: “It’s a really simple idea and we want people to have fun with the Big Packed Lunch and get everyone together to share their lunch goodies, and at the same time raise vital funds for the NSPCC. We hope that lots of local people will take part on September 17, but if anyone wants to stage a lunch on another date that’s fine too!”

The money raised through Big Packed Lunch will help to fund the NSPCC’s ground-breaking ChildLine Schools Service, which uses trained volunteers to deliver age-appropriate workshops and assemblies to 9-11 year olds in order to educate them about abuse, how to protect themselves, and where to get help if they need it.

NSPCC research shows that, on average, two children in every primary school classroom have suffered abuse or neglect. However, whether it's through fear or lack of information, children are not seeking help or telling anyone what's happening until they are much older.

Since its launch the ChildLine Schools Service has visited 26 schools in the Vale of Glamorgan and spoken to 1816 children, but with a total of 50 primary schools in the area, there is still a lot more to be done.

Nigel continued: “With the support of local people we can visit every primary school in this area and give children the confidence to talk about abuse and the courage to seek help if they ever need it.”

The NSPCC has produced a Big Packed Lunch fundraising pack which includes hints and tips for staging an event. To find out more and to get your Big Packed Lunch fundraising pack, visit www.nspcc.org.uk/lunch.