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2016
June - The global response to Jo’s death
Jo’s murder sparked a global wave of grief and solidarity. Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square on what would have been her 42nd birthday at the ‘More in Common’ vigil with Malala Yousafzai and Sadiq Khan in attendance. Celebrations of Jo’s life also took place in Yorkshire, Edinburgh and as far as Nairobi, Washington and Buenos Aires in accordance with Jo’s message of unity over division.
The public reaction to Jo’s death - in the UK and the world - showed that her values of respect, unity and compassion are widely shared.
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“I did not have the privilege of knowing her. But I know the spirit that defined her life… she believed in an idea that transcends borders and cultures – the power of people to bring about change, from the grassroots up.”
- Barack Obama -
June - The Jo Cox Fund
In the days that followed Jo’s death over 40,000 people donated nearly £2 million to the Jo Cox Fund. Three £500,000 grants were made to three charities tackling issues that Jo believed in; The White Helmets, Hope not Hate and The Royal Voluntary Service.
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September - The Jo Cox Foundation is established
The remaining funds were used to start the Jo Cox Foundation, officially established on 23rd September 2016 with the objective of building a positive legacy for Jo through championing the issues she cared about.
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2017
February - The Cost of Doing Nothing
The “Cost of Doing Nothing” report was published by Policy Exchange under leadership of Alison McGovern and Tom Tugenhat. Jo had started writing the report with Tom in 2016 to make the case for Britain’s role in protecting civilians from conflict. The report attracted cross-party support from leaders past and present.
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The first Great Get Together
The first ever Great Get Together united the nation on the 16-18 June 2017, the anniversary of Jo’s murder.
With more people attending than the 2012 Jubilee, it was truly one of the biggest community celebrations in our history. 83% of people said they met someone new and 78% said they felt more hopeful about Britain afterwards.
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“ I had felt compelled and inspired by Jo’s life and work to do this, and I think a lot of other people felt that too. It’s been one of the things I am most proud of doing in my life.”
– Ruth, Great Get Together organiser 2017
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June - Jo’s Coat of Arms Unveiled
Jo’s coat of arms was unveiled in the House of Commons by her children of a ‘family day’ in Parliament.
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December - The Jo Cox Loneliness Commission
The Jo Cox Loneliness Commission published its report ‘A call to connect’ with 13 charities, declaring 9 million adults in the UK as ‘often or always lonely’ and calling for leadership on the issue.
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The Great Christmas Get Together
208,000 people take part in #MincePieMoments, reaching out to lonely and isolated people in their communities.
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2018Theresa May appointed Tracey Crouch MP as the world’s first Loneliness Minister. The Foundation marked the occasion with a reception in 10 Downing street.
January- The appointment of the world’s first Loneliness Minister
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March - The Jo Cox Memorial Grants launched by DFID
The Department for International Development launched a £10 million fund to honor Jo, funding grassroots projects working on two issues Jo was passionate about; women’s social, economic and political empowerment and preventing identity-based violence.
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£20 million of new funding was announced for charities and community groups supporting isolated individuals. This included an £11 ‘Building Connections Fund’ specifically to support voluntary, community and charitable organisations that are bringing people together.
June - £20 million fund for loneliness
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June - The Second Great Get Together
The second Great Get Together took place on Jo’s birthday weekend. 300,000 people got involved in around 4,500 events from cross country runs to coffee mornings that brought together groups of all ages, faiths and ethnicities.
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October - The government launched its first Loneliness Strategy
Theresa May launched “A connected society”, the first cross-government strategy to tackle loneliness. The strategy outlined a series of commitments to help connect people across all age ranges, including expanding social prescribing services, an Employers Pledge and a loneliness-check in all policy-making. -
December - The Great Christmas Get Together returns
Communities across the country reached out to lonely individuals through our second #MincePieMoments campaign. MPs joined the Foundation’s parliamentary reception to mark their commitment to prioritising the issue of loneliness in their constituencies.
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2019
January - Starting a national conversation around intimidation in public life
Following increasing levels of abuse towards MPs across the country, the Foundation helped to start a national conversation around the intimidation of people in public life. CEO Catherine Anderson, Ambassador Kim Leadbeater and Chair Jacqui Smith spoke on BBC News, Sky News, ITV News and on National Radio calling for greater civility, respect and compassion in national discourse.
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April - More in Common Community Training Day
The Foundation hosted its first ever More in Common training day, bringing 60 Great Get Organisers from across the UK together to share their experiences and make plans to bring their communities together over the year-ahead.
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May - Committee on Standards of Public Life
The Foundation started work with The Committee on Standards in Public Life to convene the first Joint Standard of Conduct for political parties.
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June - The Third Great Get Together
720,000 people took part in over 11,000 events celebrating all that we have in common, with 71% of organisers saying The Great Get Together helped them feel less lonely.
“It was amazing to see a millionaire having a cuppa with a homeless refugee, Muslims talking with Jews, Sikhs talking with Hindus, and young talking with elderly”
- Andrew, GGT Organiser from Birmingham
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December - Election & Candidate pledges
In the lead up to the 2019 General Election, we launched our Respectful Election Pledge. Candidates pledged to take responsibility for setting an appropriate tone when campaigning, leading by example to encourage and fostering constructive democratic debate.
Hundreds of candidates from across all parties took the pledge, reaching 10 million unique users online.
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March - Jo Cox Memorial Grants announcements
The 18 DFID Jo Cox Memorial Grant recipients were announced, with £10 million funding awarded to organisations working to empower women and prevent identity-based violence.
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April - Founding the Connection Coalition
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we founded the Connection Coalition alongside Mind, The British Red Cross, Facebook, Age UK, Nesta, Nationbuilder and The Cares Family.
Over 500 organisations and individuals have joined in a shared effort to reinforce meaningful connections to mitigate the impact of isolation throughout the Covid-19.
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May - Virtual Iftar
We teamed up with The Naz Legacy Foundation for our first virtual More In Common Iftar to celebrate Ramadan at home.
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May - 5th Anniversary of Jo's Election
On the 5th Anniversary of Jo Cox’s maiden speech in parliament, Kim Leadbeater reflected on how Jo's 'More In Common' message is more important than ever.
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June - The Fourth Great Get Together
Over one million people took part in a socially distanced Great Get Together, with people around the country committing acts of kindness, connecting together and celebrating the power of community.
We held a virtual interfaith community service, saw runners from around the world take part in the Run for Jo and held an all-day radio festival.
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December - The Great Winter Get Together
The Great Winter Get Together was our most ambitious campaign thus far. Spanning from mid-December to January 18th, each week was themed with practical ways to face loneliness together, one connection at a time.
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In these testing times, we know that Jo’s values matter more than ever. We truly believe that the charity and Jo’s legacy can continue to make a positive, tangible impact to people across the world.
Please consider donating to support Jo legacy.