‘We have more in common than that which divides us’

IT’S still hard to comprehend what happened here in Manchester on Monday, May 22, the day our great city, our young people and their families, became the target of an evil and despicable act of terror.

While we are a city in mourning, we are also a city of solidarity, strength and defiance.

These are values that have shone brightly in the immediate aftermath, bringing unity and hope in our time of darkness. Those who try to terrorise us want to break down our communities and turn us against each other.

But people here have said loud and clear – they will not win.

Over the past weeks we have been a city united. The response on the night itself continues to inspire us – the brave emergency services who ran towards danger, people opening their homes to strangers and those who drove others away from the scene.

In the days and weeks after we have shown our solidarity and strength, from the vigil in Albert Square and the incredible One Love Manchester concert to the countless quiet acts of kindness and compassion we’ve seen across our city-region.

We now have another chance to come together and show our unity again. The Great Get Together is a project inspired by the life of Jo Cox and it will mark the anniversary of her death at the hands of another extremist a year ago. Between June 16 and 18, over 116,000 events are planned across the country to celebrate Jo’s belief that ‘we have more in common than that which divides us’.

More than 500 of these are taking place across Greater Manchester. They range from small street parties and coffee mornings, to big music events and school assemblies that celebrate all that unites our communities.

The Great Get Together is linking up an incredible mix of our country’s biggest organisations.

Organisations such as The Big Lunch, Citizens UK, Help for Heroes, The British Legion, The WI and Rotary, The Scouts, Girlguiding, The RSPB and The Premier League. All of the major faith groups are holding get togethers and so are countless smaller community groups. But it’s not just organisations, we’re seeing groups of friends, families and neighbourhoods getting together.

Right across Britain people are coming together to show that we stand united as a country and will never be divided by hate.

An event like the Great Get Together would always have a home here in Greater Manchester, but now it feels even more important. That’s why we are asking the people of Greater Manchester to play their part.