GettyToday marks a year since Labour MP Jo Cox was killed in an attack in her Yorkshire constituency – and people everywhere are joining in events set up as a celebration of her life.
Around 10 million people are set to take part in ‘The Great Get Together’, which encourages people to spend time with their family, friends and neighbours.
Celebrities, including Ed Sheeran, Andy Murray, Stephen Fry and Dame Helen Mirren have recorded a video urging the public to get involved.
Exactly a year ago, Jo Cox was killed. Today let's keep her words alive. A powerful way you can help is by sharing Jo’s words #MoreInCommon pic.twitter.com/rA4rGA26L0
— Great Get Together (@great_together) June 16, 2017
In the video, they stars talk about ‘what unites the British public?’
The topic comes from Jo’s speech where she said: “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.”
With suggestions such as fish and chips, James Bond and sport – we admit, there’s a lot to be proud of.
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The official Great Get Together website says the purpose of the event is to people to ‘get together with their neighbours to share food and celebrate all that we hold in common’.
Whether that’s a street party or a barbecue, a picnic or a bake off – all that matters is that people ‘have fun and bring communities closer together’.
GettyAhead of the celebrations, Jo’s widower Brendan has also spoken out about the past year and says it’s his two children – Cuillin, who is six, and Lejla, four, who have kept him going over the past 12 months.
Brendan is planning to spend some time helping out with the volunteer relief efforts at Grenfell Tower in London, according to the Metro.
He is also attending ‘about seven or eight’ events over the course of the weekend – in London and Yorkshire.
GettyHe said:
The difficult thing is, you need to avoid doing stuff which is just displacement.
But because this feels important, it’s trying to achieve something significant about bringing our communities together when some people are trying to tear them apart.
That gives me some comfort, in the sense I’m taking forward Jo’s legacy and the issues Jo and I always worked on together all through our lives.
For me the overwhelming priority has been making sure the kids are okay.
Because they’re okay, they’re really strong – they have a lot of Jo’s spirit and vitality – that’s helped me cope. Without them, I wouldn’t have coped.
And they’ve really thrown themselves into this – they’ve loved planning their own Get Together as well.
An amazing way to remember Jo, one year on.
