The Great Get Together for Jo Cox in France
Everyone welcome to 'community picnic' in southwest France held on the same weekend parties across UK celebrate MP's life
One of the 120,000 Great Get Together events organised to honour MP Jo Cox who was murdered a year ago is happening here in France.
Ann Hopkins who lives near Souillac, Lot, has organised her own event and is expecting around 35 people to come to her home for a community picnic with everyone bringing something to eat. There will be music as some people are bringing along their instruments and there will be games to play such as badminton and water polo.
Mrs Hopkins said she had the idea about three weeks ago as she wanted to do something positive in the light of the recent terrorist attacks, and her determination deepened following the Grenfell Tower fire: “I felt very inspired to do something to counterbalance all the awful news and I’ve been delighted by the response.
"I’ve got a big shady field with tables and chairs and I’ve been making decorations to reflect the red and white gingham theme of the UK event. I think it is worth remembering what Jo Cox did and what she was fighting for. I have French neighbours and I have explained it to them and they are coming too.”
In the UK, events organised by the Jo Cox Foundation began on Friday, the anniversary of her death but most were due to take part this weekend.
Mrs Cox was fatally shot and stabbed in Birstall in her Yorkshire constituency of Batley and Spen on June 16. Her family came up with the idea of a Great Get Together, inspired by her life and the words she spoke in her maiden speech to Parliament, “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.”
The aim is to create the biggest neighbourhood celebration since the Jubilee street parties and organisers want people to get together with their neighbours to share food and celebrate all that we hold in common. Jo Cox’s husband, Brendan told Channel 4 TV show The Last Leg: “I want to remember Jo the way she lived, not how she died. She loved to party, getting together with her neighbours. Secondly Jo’s death was designed to tear communities apart, turn neighbours against neighbours and we could think of no better way than to say f*** off to those extremists than getting millions of people together and having a party.”
Mrs Hopkins says anyone who wants to come is welcome and they can phone her for directions to her house: 05 65 37 68 03.
