Remember Jo with mince pie moments and spare a chair this Christmas in Batley, Dewsbury and Spenborough

Champion fighting loneliness: The late Jo Cox

In summer communities throughout the country and especially in North Kirklees came together to remember and celebrate the legacy of Mrs Cox, who was murdered in June 2016, through The Great Get-Together, which saw people come together for events large and small.

Mrs Cox’s husband Brendan said he hoped people would unite through The Great Christmas Get Together in the same way this December.

Mince Pie Moments will take place all over the UK, from big Christmas lunches to much smaller examples of sharing time and food with neighbours or members of the community experiencing loneliness, and people are also being asked to spare a chair at home or deliver a mince pie to somebody they know who would appreciate a smile and a bit of a chat over Christmas.

Mr Cox said: “Jo believed in stronger communities as the best answer to loneliness, and that’s even more true at Christmas.

“That’s the idea behind mince pie moments, an excuse for all of us to reach out to someone who is lonely, or strike up a conversation with someone in our street.

“It doesn’t take much to change someone’s day for the better and we hope mince pie moments might help us take the first step.

“We don’t have to be a nation of strangers, especially at Christmas.”

The Great Christmas Get Together will take place on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Kim Leadbeater, Jo’s sister, will be helping to hand out mince pies and warm drinks in Batley on Christmas Eve and is helping to organise a lunch for 150 people in Dewsbury on Christmas Day.

The organisation Community Christmas, which is backing the campaign, is offering free advice on how to host an event at home or in a local hall or other venue (https://communitychristmas.org.uk/)

The Jo Cox Loneliness Commission, which has been taking forward her commitment to raising awareness of the issue and looking for innovative ways of tackling it, will report in mid-December.

Details for how people can participate in The Great Christmas Get Together can be found at http://www.greatgettogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/GGT-Christmas-Pack.pdf