Hackney will come together tomorrow to celebrate the life of murdered MP Jo Cox, one year after her death.

As part of the national Great Get Together, Hackney More in Common will bring together nearly 70 community groups within the borough to honour the vision of Cox, to remember those killed in recent terrorist outrages and innocent victims everywhere in the world, and to celebrate the diversity of Hackney’s communities.

A fashion show, dance, music, yoga performances, community stalls, debates, food, activities for children and much more are on offer.

Jane Holgate, chair of Hackney Unites, told EastLondonlines: “We are pleased to be hosting this great get together of the diverse community of Hackney. We are excited to have the opportunity to bring Hackney communities together and to show that we actually have a lot in common, more in common than what divides us.

“We aim to show that, despite the best efforts of some people who seek to sew division, we really do have so much in common, and tomorrow’s event is a happy celebration of that we share.”

There will be an Islamaphobia exhibition, workshops on ethnic minority employment, a ‘people’s plan for Hackney’ and relaxation, film screenings and discussions.

Groups from the Turkish, Kurdish, Caribbean, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities will take part in the event. People from the young, disability rights groups, Digs, the LGBT+ community, and women’s rights groups will also join in.

Other groups who will be present include Hackney Refugee Forum, Day Mer, Halkevi, the Musallaa An Noor Mosque, London Gypsy and Traveller Unit, and the Claudia Jones centre.

John Page, secretary of HU, told ELL: “We planned this event weeks ago and now it seems even more important in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of the last few weeks, and we feel strongly that our community can be an example of how we are better off working together.

“About 70 community groups are coming together, we have got a lot of stalls, storytelling for children, the Mayor of Hackney will be joining us, and there will be a lot of things going on.

“We are very proud of having Gus John speaking of the legacy of legendary Black Radical CLR James, a very important figure for us. There will be food, a lot of ice-cream, and there is going to be a lot of sun too, so we are really looking forward to it.”

Page added: “When people try to divide our communities, we will always take the extra step to try to bring them back together.”

Birthday memorial for Jo Cox, MP, at London’s Trafalgar Square. Pic: Garry Knight

Hackney More in Common will be held from 11.30 am until 5 pm at Hackney Community College in Shoreditch, followed by the ‘Change of art festival’ at Amnesty International’s headquarters, as part of Hope Not Hate’s Weekend of Action.

To get involved, sign up here.

The Great Get Together is inviting people to get together with their neighbours on June 16-18 to celebrate all we have in common and to bring communities closer together.

More than 100 organisations are now involved in the events taking place this weekend, with more than 108,000 get-togethers happening across the country.

Hackney

WILTON Get Together.

Residents, visitors, businesses and community groups around Hackney’s Wilton Way are coming together tomorrow to host a family-friendly street party to promote the strengthening of the borough by sharing food, music and playing games. The many activities include a best hat competition, a ‘Bake Off’ celebrating family recipes and a prize dog show. More details here.

Common Goals at Olympic Park.

Refugees and migrants will join footballers and local community at Olympic Park on Sunday, where thousands of people are expected to attend. Migrant Voice, West Ham FC, Show Racism the Red Card and others are coming together for a football match involving Syrian refugee footballers, other migrants, and members of the local community. Find out more here.

Lewisham

The Playful Escape.

The Deptford Lounge is hosting an event of clowning games, live musical statues, a big lunch banquet and “human hungry hippos” tomorrow. To get your free tickets, click here.

Float Your Boats at Creekside Discovery Centre.

South-east London residents are invited to ‘float their boats’ on the Thames tomorrow to celebrate communities coming together. Anyone is welcome to bring a boat, and there will be a stall to help people build boats out of natural materials, with Forries Education.

You can get involved on social media by tweeting #floatyourboats. https://nvite.com/FloatYourBoats/a194

Tower Hamlets

The Great Get Together Picnic in Victoria Park.

On Sunday, Tower Hamlets residents are invited to take part in an afternoon picnic. There will be live music on the bandstand by East London Arts & Music and dads are invited to take part in a very special Father’s Day mini Olympics, with many other activities for children and families.

Richard Desmond, chair of Victoria Park Friends Group, told ELL: “We have a lot of people coming to celebrate the diversity and inclusion of people in east London.

“We will have wonderful talented young people from the Academy of Music, so there is going to be a lot of music, picnics, and hopefully we will have a nice day in the sunshine in memory of Jo Cox.”

To find out more, click here.

Far more unites us than divides us at Hermitage.

The Great Get Together celebrations in Wapping will begin with a gathering by the Peace Statue in Hermitage Gardens, at 6pm tomorrow. The event is being organised by Friends & Neighbours of Jo Cox and the Wapping Bangladesh Association, and is supported by Love Wapping. More details here.

We’re supporting #GreatGetTogether with tea, cake & mini-tennis for local community to celebrate life of Jo Cox MP & all she stood for pic.twitter.com/Rzvvq3j7is

— Wimbledon Foundation (@WimbledonFdn) 15 June 2017