Church leaders across Batley and Birstall will lead a period of silence and prayers around the Joseph Priestley statue in Birstall on Thursday – to mark the time of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox’s death one week on and the day of the EU Referendum.
The vicar of Birstall, the Revd Paul Knight said: “All five local churches will come together in her name and we encourage others to join us.”The churches – including the three Anglican churches of St Peter’s Birstall, St Saviour’s Brownhill and neighbouring Batley Parish Church will stand alongside the Birstall Methodists and the local RC Church of St Patrick’s.
They will meet for an hour from 12. 50pm Thursday and stand round the monument which has seen thousands of wellwishers gather and lay floral tributes and messages to the Labour MP.
Said Revd Knight: “We will be standing together around the monument.
“We will start with two minutes silence and observe the peace for the period of time from the start of the attack until the official announcement that Jo was dead almost an hour later.
“Anyone can join us in moving and peaceful demonstration of our love and respect for our MP and for each other,’ he added.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JO
Thousands of people gathered across the world to come together on what would have been Jo Cox’s 42nd birthday including Batley Market Place which held a simultaneous memorial with Trafalgar Square yesterday at which her husband Brendan spoke. The programme included musical tributes as well as contributions from friends and colleagues “who share Jo’s belief in the goodness of humanity”, said Dan Howard, a member of Mrs Cox’s office staff.