Thousands of events across the UK to mark the first anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox MP
This weekend millions of people are expected to take part in events to celebrate the values inspired by Jo Cox MP, who was murdered a year ago in her constituency of Batley and Spen.
‘The Great Get Together’ will be marked by street parties, concerts, commemorations and celebrations in cities, towns and villages across the country.
All those taking part are being urged to remember Jo’s words in her maiden speech, when she said, “we are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us”.
Many of the events will be small community get-togethers where friends and neighbours congregate for a party, barbecue or picnic. The Big Lunch, which has organised annual neighbourhood celebrations since 2009, moved its annual event to coincide with the anniversary.
Watch The Last Leg on Channel 4 this Friday
The weekend will be kick-started with a special edition of The Last Leg on Channel Four from 9-11 pm on Friday evening with special guests and great new videos in support of The Great Get Together.
Brendan Cox in memory of his wife, said:
“In the last few weeks, we have been awed by the scale of the reaction to the idea of the Great Get Together taking place this weekend. The Great Get Together is the very simple idea of getting together with our neighbours and sharing food.
“We are already aware of almost 120,000 events across the country from street parties to barbecues and picnics – and I know that that is probably just the tip of the iceberg.
“Communities coming together in this way is more important now than ever. After the election and even more so after the horrific attacks in Manchester and London there is a huge groundswell of people who just want to focus on the things that unite us, who want to draw closer to their neighbours and communities. I think people are sick of the narrative of hatred and division that neither represents who they are nor our country.
“We hope these events give us all a moment – as my wife talked about in her maiden speech – to focus on the things we have in common. These events were inspired by Jo and mark her anniversary, but I hope they play a wider role in bringing us closer together. I also hope they are fun, full of energy and laughter. That’s what Jo would have wanted.”
Peter Stewart, The Big Lunch Executive Director, said:
“The Big Lunch, funded by the National Lottery, has been bringing communities together on an annual basis since 2009. This year promises to be extra special for us as we’re working with the Great Get Together weekend to rally the largest number of simultaneous community events this country has ever seen. We don’t want anyone to miss out on the spirit of community celebration. Sprinkled with a good dose of June sunshine we expect to see millions of people celebrating community and commonality in this special weekend packed with friendship, food and fun.”
In addition to The Big Lunch, the Great Get Together has the backing of over one hundred other organisations – from Help for Heroes to Amnesty International, the RNLI to the Red Cross, The Rotary Club, The Women’s Institute and The Premier League. The Scouts and Girlguiding will hold get-togethers across the country. The RSPB and English Heritage will open venues for special events. The Challenge will bring schools from different backgrounds together. British Future and IMix are arranging events with refugees and ethnically mixed communities.
What’s On?
Take a look to see what event is near you.
The Jo Cox Foundation
In the days following Jo’s death over 40,000 people generously donated over £1.5 million to the Jo Cox Fund. This money is being used to support work in Yorkshire, across the UK and in Syria. You can find out how to support The Jo Cox Foundation through her official website.