Nuneaton News Mum plans picnic in the park to bring community together

AFTER hundreds of people attended a vigil in Nuneaton, the community is pulling together to host more events.

Katie Lynch is hoping to organise more events to bring together people from all walks of life in Nuneaton.

Residents organised the vigil in memory of the victims who died in the horrific attack in Manchester and the community spirit has not stopped there.

Crowds of people turned up to pay their respects at the vigil and residents were particularly touched that people of various faiths, ages and races attended.

Katie Lynch, whose idea it was to host the heartwarming event, was overwhelmed by the turnout and has been asked by a number of people to organise more events.

The next idea is an open Eid in the park event, as suggested by the Muslim Women’s Society.

It would invite the community to celebrate Eid with a picnic in Riversley park.

Details are yet to be confirmed but Katie is keen to get people from all walks of life involved.

Katie said: “I just want everyone to be involved in it.

“All different people have been saying how good the vigil was, the Gurkha community were saying when is the next one?

“I’m just a mum, I am on maternity leave and obviously had nothing better to do in that day. We are just trying to get different types of people to come, the more people see it the more people want to be a part of it. We want to get the word out there.”

The weekend’s events, including the attack on London Bridge and the One Love Manchester concert have spurred Katie on even more. She said: “The London attack has made me more determined to pull everything together. “I am like, if Manchester can put on a concert, we are going to have a picnic in the park. “The only way these terrorists are going to affect anyone is by killing them because they won’t affect our community spirit.”

Katie was impressed by the turnout at the vigil, after being inspired to host it after a man was arrested in Nuneaton and later released without charge.

She said: “It was amazing, I was so impressed.

“The reason I put it on was because when the guy was arrested the posts started coming in saying ‘send them back, we don’t want them in our town’, and I just wanted to help stop that.

“That was the turning point for a lot of people because when it’s in the country you say it’s on your doorstep, but when it’s in your home town it is really on your doorstep and I wanted to help stop any of those hateful comments.”

Katie has admitted that she herself has made inappropriate comments in the past and wants these community events to set an example to children in the town.

“It’s also about showing the next generation how we should be.

“We should show them that different cultures can live together.

“I used to be guilty of it myself, I used to be one of those people who would say ‘send them back’ but I don’t want my kids to think like that.

“I don’t want them to give dirty looks or make anyone feel uncomfortable. It’s about making people more tolerant.”