10 years on, carry Jo Cox’s legacy forward: Join the Great Get Together
31st March 2026
As we approach ten years since Jo Cox MP was murdered, it’s a moment not only to remember her, but to reflect on the legacy she left behind – and the role we can all play in carrying it forward.
It was Jo who set up the cross-party commission with 13 expert organisations – later known as the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness – that successfully called for the world’s first loneliness minister, a cross-government strategy, dedicated funding and a commitment to growing the evidence base.
But Jo’s legacy goes far beyond policy. Her murder shocked the nation, yet in the days that followed, people responded not with fear, but with something Jo believed in deeply: connection. Neighbours came together. Differences were set aside. Communities chose connection over division.
That response revealed something Jo lived by and fought for every day: that we have far more in common than that which divides us. For Jo, connection wasn’t abstract – it was built through listening, talking, and treating one another with respect, even when we disagree.
A decade on, the absence of that connection remains one of the defining challenges of our time. Loneliness affects people of all ages and backgrounds, weakening communities and leaving too many feeling unseen and unheard. It impacts both physical and mental health – and, in some cases, can make people more vulnerable to division and extremism.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
As we mark this anniversary, Jo’s message feels more urgent than ever. This is not just a moment of remembrance – it’s a moment of choice. An opportunity to reconnect and to strengthen the ties that hold our communities together. Creating spaces for real, human connection has never mattered more.
From 19–21 June 2026, the Great Get Together will once again bring people together across the country. Over the past decade, more than 17 million people have taken part – sharing food, stories, and time with people they might not otherwise meet.
And we know the impact lasts beyond the weekend. Last year, 88% of people who took part said they felt a greater sense of connection, 79% felt a stronger sense of belonging to their community, and 89% went on to join a new community activity.
This year, can you help us make the Great Get Together the most connected yet?
Whether it’s getting together with your neighbours or colleagues, or wider community – or encouraging others in your networks to do the same – every act of connection matters. Because when people come together, communities grow stronger, kinder, and more resilient.
The Great Get Together is a weekend – but it’s also a starting point.
Looking ahead to the next ten years, the ambition is clear: to build a decade of connection. One where communities are less lonely and more connected, where hope is renewed, and where people come together across differences in ways that are meaningful and lasting.
And it starts this June.
Because people want to connect. And when they do, communities change for the better.
Find out more at the Great Get Together and register your event here.
Contact:
Olivia Field
Chief Executive Officer