A new memorial to Jo Cox has been unveiled at the railway station in her hometown of Batley.

Commemorative plaques, with one featuring photographs of the former MP for Batley and Spen, have been installed on platform 1 at the station in West Yorkshire.

They were unveiled at a ceremony on Friday 18 July attended by Mrs Cox’s sister Kim Leadbeater, who is now the MP for Spen Valley, and her parents Gordon and Jean.

Mrs Cox had been passionate about making improvements to the station and helped set up a volunteer group known as Friends of Batley Station (FOBS) in 2015. 

The original memorial – a banner and floral display created after the MP was killed in June 2016 – will have to be removed as the station is redeveloped as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. 

Northern, which runs the station, has worked closely with the volunteer group to create a more permanent memorial that will be there for years to come. 

They are also preparing plans for a new community garden, which will include four cherry blossom trees donated by the Embassy of Japan in the UK.

Kim Leadbeater said: “Like Jo before me, I have worked closely with the Friends of Batley Station who do an amazing job helping to make the building an attractive and welcoming part of the community.

“On behalf of my family, I want to say a big thank you to FOBS and to Northern for this touching new tribute to my sister.”

Gwen Lowe, chair of the Friends of Batley Station, said: “We want people who see this to think about Jo and reflect on what she did for the community. She was a fantastic MP, but more importantly she was a fantastic person.

“It’s really special to have the memorial here because it’s in a place where Jo had a photograph taken for one of her first parliamentary trips.

“She was also very passionate about making improvements to the station because it’s the gateway into Batley.”

Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, said: “We have been working closely with Friends of Batley Station to create a new memorial for Jo, as we know how much it matters to local people.

“They can come to remember someone who was such an important part of the community and pay their respects.”

Learn more about Northern’s work in the community here.

Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from the Friends of Batley Station via their X page.