Community rail partnerships and groups are being encouraged to take part in the ‘Great Get Together’, a weekend of events inspired by the legacy of Jo Cox.

Organised by the Jo Cox Foundation, the event promotes Jo’s message that ‘we have more in common than that which divides us.’

Each year, the foundation supports communities to run events that bring people together and celebrate around the time of what would have been Jo’s birthday. This year’s ‘Great Get Together’ is between 24-26 June.

The foundation is keen to work with community rail partnerships and groups to potentially run community action days, walks to and from stations, or parties, to reflect this year’s theme of ‘welcome’.

James Austin, of the Jo Cox Foundation, explains: “Jo was the MP for Batley and one of the things she did prior to becoming an MP was help found the Friends of Batley Station. She remained on the Friend’s committee while an MP, and following her death the group has kept her as it’s honorary vice-chair.

“For the Great Get Together 2022 our theme is ‘welcome’: we want to celebrate the practical things which bring communities together and which communities do to welcome others. One of the things that struck me is that community rail groups really do this – the work they do and the stations they support both literally and metaphorically welcome people to communities and bind communities together.”

Community Rail Network will provide more details about the event in a future edition of ‘Community Rail News’, but you can also read about the ‘Great Get Together’ here.