Free Great Get Together workshops to plan event in Batley and Spen

Although predominantly self-led, the free sessions will be guided by an expert facilitator on Tuesday evenings at Batley Community Centre between 6pm and 8pm, starting from May 10.

The workshops will allow the participants to organise a Great Get Together event which will allow them to bring the community together, meet new people, gain new skills in community activism and share knowledge.

The group's Great Get Together event will then be held on Saturday, June 25, at a time and venue decided by participants of the workshops.

Emily Danby, head of the Yorkshire programme at the Jo Cox Foundation, said: “Projects like this are really important because they provide an opportunity for people who are different from one another to meet, connect and understand each other.

“We have a wonderful facilitator who will be supporting the group to explore the topic of belonging and then applying what they explore to design the event.

“It will be very much led by the group themselves and how the event emerges will be a result of the conversations that the group have.

“We will also be bringing our support, resources and expertise for them to draw on.

“It is going to be very responsive and the group is going to take the lead - which is the exciting bit.”

The Jo Cox Foundation was set up in memory of the late Batley and Spen MP, Jo Cox, in 2016 by her friends and family.

The foundation exists to build a positive legacy for Jo and to create something positive from the tragedy of her murder.

Jo’s sister, current Batley and Spen MP Kim Leadbeater, said: “I am delighted to see plans being made for The Great Get Together again this year, here in Batley and Spen and across the country.

“The Great Get Together is a powerful and important part of my sister Jo’s legacy.

“Since its inception in 2017 we have seen thousands of events take place which celebrate our communities and bring people together.

“I would encourage people from across the area to join in with this eight week workshop series from The Jo Cox Foundation to see how they can get involved.”

The Great Get Together was inspired by the late Jo Cox MP to bring people together and to celebrate that we have more in common than that which divides us.

The workshops are open to everyone over the age of 18 who lives or works in Kirklees, with all experience levels welcome.

To sign up to the Belonging project, visit https://tinyurl.com/ggtbelong

For more information, email [email protected] or call 07776 458122.