Celebrity chef Levi Roots to launch country’s biggest ever BBQ, as part of Thank You Day
28 May 2021
Levi Roots is launching a plan for the nation’s biggest-ever BBQ, as part of National Thank You Day with NCS and the Scouts. Read more about his plans.
Launching his plan for what he is calling ‘BB-Thank-Q’ Levi said:
“We all have so many people to thank for helping us through the last year. What better way than firing up a BBQ, inviting your neighbours and sharing food together.
“Community means so much to me, it meant so much to so many of us during the crisis - and this is a chance to keep that community spirit going face to face over some great food. ”
As part of the launch of the idea, Levi will be serving up one of his favourite recipes at a BBQ event with teens from NCS and Scouts on the 26th of May, at The Fort South London Scout Centre. During the cooking session, Levi Roots will teach them how to prepare his classic ‘homestyle jerk chicken wings’ recipe.
Levi hopes the launch of the BB-Thank-Q this week will inspire young and older people alike to plan a BBQ for their community on Thank You Day, on the 4th of July. The BB-Thank-Q is planned for 7pm on the day and will be the climax of a huge range of activities taking place ranging from Parkrun picnics to street parties and community music.
With communities across the UK looking forward to enjoying greater freedom to meet and socialise this summer, a campaign to say ‘thank you’ to those in our local communities who helped us though the crisis has received a groundswell of support including the backing of hundreds of organisations including the the NHS, the Football Association, the Scouts and the Guides.
Jonas Andrew-Phillip (19) a budding entrepreneur and youth spokesperson for NCS said: “The BBQ event, as part of Thank You Day, is a fantastic way to ensure that people remember the things that we need to be grateful for. It’s been great to meet Levi Roots. I've been a fan of his signature ‘Reggae Reggae Sauce’ and have watched his Dragons’ Den pitch multiple times before. As a young person I’ve been volunteering for a while now and I'm grateful to see the return to in-person activities, which is only one of the things that I'm thankful for - there is much more."
Jess Evans (19) a student from Manchester and NCS spokesperson said,
“The BBQ Thank You event sounds like a fantastic opportunity to bring communities together again after such a difficult year, in an uplifting and accessible way. There is a lot to be thankful for and there is also a lot to celebrate. Young people have faced immense challenges during the pandemic - studying at home, coping with exam uncertainty, struggling to find work, and being isolated from friends. Not only have they overcome such adversity, but many have found the time to help others along the way and make a real difference in their communities.
“The prospect of socialising again is exciting but can also be daunting, so I hope this event will encourage people to get involved, reflect on how far we have come and provide hope and positivity moving forward.
Mark Gifford, CEO of NCS: “NCS is incredibly proud to be supporting ‘Thank You Day’ on July 4th, and we hope many young people up and down the country will feel inspired to get involved.
“After a year of great change, due to the pandemic, this will create a wonderful opportunity to bring young people, and their local communities, together.
“We are very grateful to Levi Roots for leading this idea and youth ambassadors from NCS were proud to get behind it.”
ENDS
For more information, including media interview requests, please email media@together.org.uk or media@ncstrust.org.uk or call:
Amanda Idowu, NCS, on 07458 0843670
Matthew Doyle, Together on 07976424172
Available for interview:
- Levi Roots
- Youth ambassadors
Recipe:
LEVI’S HOMESTYLE JERK CHICKEN WINGS
Makes 16
What you’ll need:
16 chicken wings Lime wedges, to serve
For the marinade:
4 tsp all purpose seasoning
2 tsp ground ginger
90ml cider vinegar
1 scotch bonnet, with seeds, very finely chopped
2 tsp finely grated nutmeg
2 tbsp olive oil
What you’ll do:
Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish and add the chicken wings, turning them to coat really well. Cover and marinate in the fridge, ideally overnight, or for at least 1-2 hours.
barbecue the chicken wings for about 10 minutes or so, turning them over when they’re patched with brown. Check they are really cooked through with the tip of a knife – there should be no pink meat and the juices will run clear. Serve with cooling lime wedges.
- Youth ambassadors
A total of 16 young people from the Scouts and NCS will be taking part in the event and will be available for photo opportunities on the day.
- National ‘Thank You’ Day (July 4th)
Thank You Day is a grassroots initiative that has grown out of a call within communities for an opportunity to say a big collective thanks on Sunday, July 4th. The idea has been proposed by a small group of people from across the UK including May Parsons, the nurse who delivered the UK’s first COVID vaccination jab in Coventry in December 2020.
Further information on how to get involved with the campaign is available on the Thank You Day website.
- Together Coalition
Together is a coalition that everyone is invited to join, from community groups to some of the UK’s best known organisations. This initiative began in the summer of 2019, with the coming together of dozens of separate conversations across different sectors of society. Through these initial months, the group began to build a campaign to help heal social divides, which became /together. /together was trailed in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s New Year Message and an open letter from key individuals from across our society. Our initial plan was to launch in March 2020, but of course, this changed when Covid-19 hit. Our first public activity was Thank you/together, working with the NHS to bring people together to mark its birthday on Sunday 5th July 2020. Our aim is to bring people together and bridge divides, to help build a kinder, closer and more connected society.
- NCS (National Citizen Service)
NCS is an experience like no other. Designed for 16-17 year olds, NCS is the country’s flagship youth programme and runs throughout the year.
The programme is all about emboldening young people – by giving them a taste of independence and equipping them with essential skills for life. They then get a chance to take these new-found skills for a test-run in their local community.
Since 2009 more than 600,000 young people have taken part in NCS, completing over 15 million hours of community action, and gaining priceless life experiences.
NCS costs no more than £50 - with bursaries and support for those with special educational needs or disabilities also available. NCS’s mission is to give every young person the life-changing experience.
NCS delivers value for money. £3.49 of benefits to society for every £1 spent.
During lockdown NCS has had over 2 million unique engagements with teens through its ‘Staying Connected’ digital programme hub as well as 195,000 hours of social good donated by teens in their local communities
Young people can still register for the NCS summer 21 programme. Visit wearencs.com for more information.
About NCS Trust
National Citizen Service Trust is an Arm's Length Body of DCMS incorporated by Royal Charter and established to shape, support, champion and lead a thriving National Citizen Service.
National Citizen Service Trust is registered in England and Wales with Royal Charter Body number RC000894.
To learn more about NCS Trust visit LinkedIn
To find out more, visit the website, or follow NCS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Scouts
All genders, races and backgrounds are welcome at Scouts. Every week, it gives almost over a third of a million people aged 6-25 the skills they need for school, college, university, the job interview, the important speech, the tricky challenge and the big dreams: the skills they need for life.
Scouts helps members gain these skills by encouraging them to ask the big questions and listen with wide open minds. It helps them to take a deep breath and speak up, think on their feet, ignore the butterflies and go for it. With Scouts, young people don’t give up – they get back up and try again, often with the support of the friends they’ve made there.
Our volunteers contribute more than 50 million hours of voluntary work each year to their local communities.
