09 May GETTING THE COUNTRY BACK TOGETHER!

Year 7 pupils from six local schools enjoyed an action-packed morning of fun at the John Smith’s Stadium, all whilst learning about the importance of celebrating kindness, respect and all we have in common.

The Great Get Together event took place on Tuesday 7 May 2019, hosted by the Town Foundation and the Jo Cox Foundation.

The Great Get Together campaign is inspired by Jo Cox, to provide opportunities for people to come together across the weekend of 21 – 23 June, which would have been Jo’s birthday weekend, and remember that ‘we are far more united and have more in common than that which divides us’.

Children began the day with an introduction from, Jo’s sister and ambassador of the Jo Cox Foundation, Kim Leadbeater. She talked about the importance of celebrating everything we have in common. The students from Netherhall High, Colne Valley High, North Huddersfield Trust, Upper Batley Boys High, Westborough High and Spen Valley High School were challenged to meet new people throughout the day.

The young people rotated around four different activities; a Role Model Workshop, a One Club One Community Workshop, a Stadium Tour and sports activities delivered by Town Foundation Coaches on the hallowed turf at the John Smith’s Stadium!

That wasn’t all, as the day ended with a special visit from Huddersfield Town Head Coach Jan Siewert, Assistant Head Coach Andreas Winkler, Head of Goalkeeping Paul Clements and First Team Coach Mark Hudson for a very special Q&A session.

Kim Leadbeater, Ambassador of the Jo Cox Foundation commented:

“It was an absolute pleasure for myself and Mum & Dad to attend the brilliant Huddersfield Town Foundation Great Get Together on Tuesday.

“The Foundation do fantastic work in the community and share the values of The Jo Cox Foundation around bringing people together, so they are a natural partner for us.

“I cannot thank them enough for their support. Seeing over a hundred children from across the local area taking part in fun activities and proving that, as Jo said, we have ‘more in common’ was heart-warming and inspiring.”

Julie Sheffield, Town’s Foundation’s Head of Fundraising commented:

“We had a great day at the Great Get Together event and I’m sure it proved incredibly beneficial to the children.

“As a Foundation, we see this as our chance to further educate youngsters in the local area and to help shape them for the rest of their lives, so working with More In Common Batley & Spen and the Jo Cox Foundation, we really hoped we were able to achieve this.

“We also know that Head Coach’s at Football Clubs are role models for a lot of young people, so we hope having Jan Siewert and his coaching staff there made it that extra bit more special for them.”