A scarecrow festival, a “deep fat friar” medieval lunch and a Ramadan meal in a church hosted by Syrian refugees are among the community events due to take place to mark the first anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox.
More than 100,000 events are expected to be held across the UK as part of The Great Get Together, organised by the Jo Cox Foundation. Organisers hope it will be the biggest number of community events since the Queen’s diamond jubilee.
Cox was stabbed and shot outside her constituency surgery in Batley and Spen, West Yorkshire, on 16 June last year by Thomas Mair. The weekend of events will take place between 16 and 18 June, with picnics, street parties and iftar, the meal eaten by Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan.
They have been organised in conjunction with The Big Lunch, an annual event that aims to combat loneliness with communal meals and activities.
In Leeds, a group of Syrian refugees will host an iftar at a local church and provide free meals to homeless people. Other events include a teddy bears’ picnic in Hartlepool, a scarecrow festival in Ilkley and a medieval lunch in Coventry.
A street party will also take place in Cox’s former constituency. It is hoped that a party in London’s Olympic Park will attract up to 10,000 participants.
Brendan Cox, the widower of the murdered MP, said he was “amazed and humbled” by the numbers who had responded to calls to mark the anniversary. “I think the huge response is because we’re tapping into the national mood,” he said.
“A desire for unity and togetherness rather than the divisiveness of politics and the public debate in recent years. The important thing is that it will be a lot of fun and will hopefully play its part in reminding us all of the values that make this country such a great place to live.”
About 100 organisations have pledged to arrange events, including Help for Heroes, Amnesty International, the Red Cross and the Premier League.
Scouts and Girlguiding will host activities for their members and English Heritage will run special events at their venues. Youth citizenship scheme The Challenge is also planning a number of events with young people on its summer programme.
