Planning underway for major community event to mark Jo Cox anniversary

The family of the late Yorkshire MP Jo Cox have started planning for one of the biggest community events ever to mark the first anniversary of her death.

Hundreds of community get-togethers are expected to take place in Yorkshire to mark the anniversary in June.

The Great Get Together will happen over the weekend of June 17 and 18. People are being invited to come together with friends, neighbours and others they don’t yet know for street parties, picnics, barbecues and bake-off competitions.

It is expected to be the biggest event of its kind since the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The weekend will be an opportunity to celebrate all that Britain’s diverse communities hold in common. It follows the first anniversary of Jo’s murder in Batley on June 16 last year.

HRH the Duchess of Cornwall will host the national launch at Clarence House later today as patron of The Big Lunch, one of the founding partners of The Great Get Together alongside The Jo Cox Foundation.

In Yorkshire, Jo's sister Kim and parents Jean and Gordon Leadbeater have already met with people from the community.