Spirit of 2012 is delighted to announce an award of £20,000 to the Jo Cox Foundation, which it has matched with a further fund to support its portfolio of projects to hold Great Get Together events next month.

This is the third year that the Jo Cox Foundation are hosting their Great Get Together event – a weekend of picnics, coffee mornings, fetes and other activities that bring people together right across the UK, uniting communities in a moment of shared remembrance and celebration of Jo Cox’s values. There will be almost 6,000 events held across the country. 

“Jo Cox believed that we have more in common than we think with our neighbours, our colleagues and our communities,” says Ruth Hollis, Director of Policy, Spirit of 2012. “That is what Spirit believes too and we’re committed – as Jo was – to bringing people together in moments of celebration to break down barriers and establish new bonds.” 

The £20,000 award to the Jo Cox Foundation will support the production of in-depth and engaging video profiles of organisers and communities who have already taken part in a Great Get Together event.

The idea is to develop a framework for storytelling that will empower local organisers to tell their own unique stories, helping strengthen bonds and embed a legacy of more connected, happier communities.  

The separate fund for Spirit projects will allow them to get involved in this year’s Great Get Together events, taking place from 21-23 June.

Current Spirit grantees will be supported through the fund to put on their own events, which must bring together a group of people to celebrate kindness, respect and all we have in common.

“Spirit is particularly interested in funding celebrations where people from different backgrounds can come together, or events that reach out to lonely and isolated people,” says Ruth Hollis.

“We’re excited to be part of the weekend, and would like as many Spirit projects as possible to get involved.”

Catherine Anderson, CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation, says: “We are especially excited about this collaboration with Spirit of 2012 because we share so many values – around tolerance, community, cohesion, and compassion. 

“It’s brilliant to have Spirit’s support, especially as it helps us to tell the compelling story of the Great Get Together and its immense power to bridge divides, harness optimism and inspire action in communities all over the country. We’d like to thank Spirit of 2012 for their support and their belief in us, and we really look forward to working with them.”

Further information

For more on this year’s Great Get Together, click here.