10 ways to join The Great Get Together in memory of Jo Cox - and show we have more in common
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Over the weekend of 16-18 June, communities across Britain are set to stage more than 100,000 events to honour­ MP Jo Cox.
The Great Get Together will mark the first anniversary of her murder and was the idea of Jo’s husband Brendan along with her friends and family.
It’s set to be the biggest community­ event in the UK since the Diamond Jubilee.
Inspiration came from Jo’s maiden speech to Parliament, when she said: “We have more in common and are far more united than that which divides us.”
The Big Lunch, which organises annual neighbourhood celebrations, has moved its event to coincide with the anniversary.
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Organisations supporting The Great Get Together, include Help for Heroes, Amnesty International, the RNLI, the RSPB, the Scouts, the Guides, The Women’s Institute and The Premier League.
A Get Together doesn’t have to be anything big or fancy. It can be as simple and informal as a cup of tea with the neighbours. It’s really just about people coming together to celebrate what we have in common.
(Photo: greatgettogether.org)
Here are 10 ideas to get you started... You’ll find loads more ideas and resources on the website , including an activity guide for those of you that like some organised fun.
1. Hold a get together at work
Staff can vote on a theme and everyone could bring a dish from around the world for a team lunch get together. Or you could organise an activity like an ‘Office Olympics’.
It’s still a get together even if you just set a time to all take a break from work and share a cup of tea with your colleagues.
2. Organise a community ‘Crufts’
Studies show dog owners are more likely to know their neighbours, so all the more reason to get your furry friends involved for a community version of Crufts.
You could hold it in your street, garden, local park or ant other dog friendly venue. Use props, like cones and hula hoops, or toys to create an obstacle course. Buy dog-friendly treats for prizes.
3. Get baking
If you’re not able to host an event, you could always bake for your neighbours. It’s a great way to connect with a neighbour you’ve not spoken to before. You could even make flapjacks for a local community group or bake a cake for the local football team.
4. Organise something sporty
You can plan a football game at your local park, or head inside at your local leisure centre for a tennis tournament. Make sure to get all of your guests involved. They could bring the football, the rounders bats, or some snacks to keep everyone’s energy up for the fun and games.
5. Throw a street party
(Photo: greatgettogether.org)
Your street party can take place anywhere: in the road, a back garden, park, allotment, school or community centre. You might need to arrange for your road to be closed.
A bring-your-own picnic is a good option as it requires little preparation in advance, or you could ask everyone to bring one dish to share – that way you don’t necessarily need to have confirmation of how many people are coming, as there is usually plenty of food to go round.
Local cafes, shops and businesses may be able to lend you things such as tables and chairs, donate food and drink or even donate prizes for a raffle.
6. Organise a veg swap
If you’re green fingered, organise a plant or veg swap. All you need is a table with a sign on, and an optional donations pot. Hold a competition for the tallest sunflower and offer a prize for the best tasting homegrown veg. You could also decorate tables with flowers from your plot.
7. Host a coffee morning or an afternoon tea.
This can be really simple to organise as all you need are some neighbours and friends, tea, coffee and some cake. Ask as many or as few as you’d like. You could even ask them to bring their own cake and biscuits.
8. Organise a meal, picnic and barbecue
If you can’t plan something big, why not keep it simple and organise something smaller? Sharing a meal can bring us so much closer together, so invite neighbours for lunch, have friends over for dinner, organise a picnic at your local park, or host a BBQ.
9. Turn an existing event into a get together
If you are already attending or hosting an event between June 16-18, why not turn it into a get together? It could be big or small, a street party or a BBQ with friends. All you need to do is sprinkle your existing event with some feel-good community spirit (and a little bit of gingham).
10. Attend an organised event
Want to join in, but can’t arrange it yourself? There are plenty of events taking place around the country. Find out what’s going on in your area .
Here are just a few of them...
Olympic Park
Head to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London on Sunday for a giant picnic, live music and dancing, for the final event of The Great Get Together. The day will see African drumming, plus performances from Newham Community Choir and dancers from Sadler’s Wells Theatre. There will also be a storytelling tent, arts and crafts, stilt walkers and circus performers. And you can enjoy egg and spoon races on a 60-metre track.
Bankside Great Get Together
Bankside Open Spaces Trust is hosting a massive street party in London, South East London on Sunday. Sponsored by Red Bull, it will feature a dog show, wacky races, a city farm, two music stages and an English village fete with maypole dancing. Refreshments will be provided at the Pimm’s and gin tents.
Birmingham Cathedral
Birmingham Cathedral will host an #adove4Jo on Saturday, where paper doves made the local community will be hung from a tree in Cathedral Square. People, including local faith leaders from the Muslim and Jewish communities, will gather to sign a world map for countries people would like prayers for.
Yorkshire
Hundreds of events will be taking place across Jo’s home county of Yorkshire over the weekend. English Heritage will be holding a picnic at beautiful Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, near Doncaster, on Saturday, while the RSPB will also be having at a picnic at their flagship St Aidan’s reserve in Leeds on Saturday.
Manchester
On Friday, from 7-10pm here will be a community gathering with food, drink and live music, as well as an Iftar, in Cathedral Square, Manchester. The event will be in remembrance of Jo and the victims of the Manchester terrorist attacks and will be attended by Mayor, Andy Burnham.
Elsewhere...
On Saturday a Ferry Great Get Together will take place on the Mersey Ferry in Liverpool, while West Oxford Beer Festival will double as a Great Get Together.
And, on Sunday, a Medieval themed Big Lunch - ‘The Deep Fat Friar’ - will happen in Coventry, and Cardiff Bay will play host to a live musical event featuring hundreds of singers, called Sing Water for Cardiff.
Share a beer with friends
(Photo: greatgettogether.org)
The Great Get Together Pale Ale has been created as a collective effort – the idea of an old friend of Brendan Cox, James Grudgeon, who runs social enterprise beer company The Good Beer Co.
The Great Get Together has teamed up with breweries across the country – Adnams, Arkells, Cliff Quay, Elgoods, Fullers, Harviestoun, Joseph Holts, Joules, J W Lees, Marstons, Palmers, St Austell, Theakstons, Thornbridge and Woodfordes, and The Good Beer Co – to create a 4.2% abv beer that is golden in colour with flavours of spice, orange peel and biscuit.
Simpsons malt donated the malt for the beer, Charles Faram contributed the hops, OI donated the glass for the bottles, Darley Labels covered the costs of labels and Colourscan gave the pump clips for the cask beer.
Profits from the Great Get Together Pale Ale go to the Jo Cox Foundation.
For stockists see www.greatgettogether.org/beer/ . Buy online from www.cellarandkitchen.adnams.co.uk .