Say thanks to a local hero...
THE family of murdered MP Jo Cox are urging people to say thank you to their local heroes this week, as part of a national campaign to tackle loneliness.
The Great Winter Get Together – an initiative of the Jo Cox Foundation, now in its fourth year – kicks off today and will run for five weeks. It aims to bring communities together through weekly themes and online events, the first of which pays tribute to local heroes who have helped others in 2020.
Kim Leadbeater, Jo’s sister, said: “The festive period is a time when we’re all supposed to be surrounded by people, enjoying food and drink and having lots of fun.
“Sadly, it’s not like that for a lot of people, who might be on their own or struggling with loneliness.
“This Christmas will be hard for so many, which is why we’re asking people to face loneliness together over the next five weeks.”
On Thursday, Kim will be joined for a virtual event by BBC presenter Nihal Arthanayake and local heroes from across the UK to discuss experiences loneliness and how to combat it. The Government- backed campaign runs until January 18 – known as Blue Monday for allegedly being the most depressing day of the year. Future weeks will invite people to reach out to those who might be lonely, to share an act of kindness and to volunteer locally.
The initiative had an early boost when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Jo’s home town of Batley to meet Len Gardner, 86. They struck up a friendship with him on the phone in a scheme run by the Royal Voluntary Service, which supports The Great Winter Get Together.
Labour MP Jo was murdered by an extremist in Batley in 2016. Baroness Barran, the minister for loneliness, said: “We can show friends and family how much they mean to us, even if we can’t all physically meet up.
“The smallest actions can make a huge difference, so why not send a card, give someone a call or sign up to volunteer?” of