Welcome to the Advent Calendar, day 8. Inspired by the late great Jo Cox, the Great Get Together once again took place across the country and of particular interest to us here in Harehills
If I had a theme for this year’s Advent Calendar, is that Harehills is at its best when it comes together. So it’s natural that this year’s Great Get Together features.
The Great Get Together has been around since 2017. It was inspired by the late Jo Cox, both as a tribute and to continue her mission of bringing the world together. It’s about bringing people together, fighting loneliness, bridging communities, and rejoicing in what unites us rather than what divides us. In an increasingly divided world of political and philosophical differences, anything that fights back against the schism is fantastic.
Great Get Together events have been taking place in Harehills since 2019, with the first I can find taking place at the Compton Centre. Chapeltown had Great Get Togethers in 2017 at the Reginald Centre.
So for 2022, the Great Get Together took place over the weekend of 25th/26th June. St Cyprian’s church was the venue, and it was brought together by Adam Aslam and Natalie Tharraleos. It was an interfaith event aimed at bringing together the many and diverse people of Harehills.
The event started with an interactive walk of friendship and culminated in a community meal in St Cyprian’s church hall.
The walk took in Burton’s factory, with people who had worked there, Harehills Cemetary with its fantastic history (there’s a Russian princess buried there, and it has a lot of historical significance to Muslim and Jewish communities).
After everyone had built up a good appetite, it was on to St Cyprian’s for a fantastic meal and socialising.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/youthengagementproject/permalink/748398002866119/
It was a chance to meet people who had only communicated online and those that weren’t engaged in social media. It was a chance to hear others’ points of view, to be inspired by people’s visions of what was to come for Harehills, and the history of the people that have lived and worked here for decades.
Topics I heard covered the potential for sport in the area, litter picks, new ideas for business, community projects, reminiscing, or just talking with new people after a long pandemic. There was something for everyone.
The event successfully embodied the ideals of the Jo Cox Foundation, bringing people together.
Along the walls were fantastic photos by the young people from Breaking Down Barriers
It was so fantastic to see our community come together, I had a wonderful day, and I hope everyone else did too. Thank you to Adam, Natalie and everyone involved in bringing this event together.
Harehills ❤️ Love 
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