COMMUNITIES are planning a 'Great Get Together' in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox.

Taking a on new form because of coronavirus, The Great Together is sending out picnic lunches to care homes and hosting their annual Mr and Mrs DJ contest from their homes to help bring people together from Friday 19th June until Sunday 21st June.

Laura Bevan in Halton, with the help of other local organisations, has been instrumental in planning to send out picnic lunches to care homes as well as hosting a Mr and Mrs DJ competition.

Laura, who also works as a part-time member pioneer for the Co-op, has been one of the most dedicated Great Get Together organisers in recent years, and though her community in Halton cannot get together physically, she has focused on what she can do to bring people together in these worrying times.

She said: "I was moved by what happened to Jo Cox and wanted to do something to bring the people of Widnes together and reinforce what she believed in. "

Jo Cox’s sister Kim Leadbeater said: “Over the past few months we have seen an amazing response from communities around the UK to the Covid-19 epidemic. It’s a reminder of Jo’s approach, one we have adopted at her Foundation that, wherever possible, we should focus on what we can do, rather than what we can’t do.

"I think Laura’s plans for Halton are brilliant. They are a fantastic example of why we’ve decided that the Great Get Together, which has always been rooted in community, will go ahead – just in a slightly different way.”

Every year since her murder in 2016, thousands of people across the UK have got together to remember Jo Cox and her message that we all have more in common than that which divides us. In 2020 the Great Get Together will take a different form, but the weekend of Jo’s birthday on June 19th-21st will still be an opportunity for people to connect with others in their communities.

CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation Catherine Anderson added: "The Great Get Together is special every year - but perhaps even more so this year as we all find new and innovative ways to reach out to our friends, neighbours and to those in need in our communities in extremely challenging times."

To see what’s happening around the country or to register a new event people can go to the interactive map at: https://www.greatgettogether.org/find/.