Batley and Spen constituents gather for service in Birstall as late MP’s husband and children go camping in her memory

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

For the constituents grieving for Jo Cox, Sunday morning’s church service in Birstall, West Yorkshire, was another opportunity to remember a woman “who could fight with passion and disarm with a smile”.

Mourners from Cox’s Batley and Spen constituency gathered at St Peter’s church at 10am to remember the MP, who was described in the sermon as “a 21st-century good samaritan”. Rev Paul Knight said she was a passionate advocate for the poor.

The late Labour MP’s husband and two young children took advantage of a brief reprieve in the uncertain weather to revisit one of the family’s favourite pastimes, an impromptu Father’s Day camping trip. Minutes into the service, he tweeted: “Jo loved camping. Last night the kids & I camped in her memory & remembered the last time we were all woken by the dawn chorus #MoreInCommon.”

Prayers were said at the church and Knight told the congregation of about 50 people that Cox was “someone with whom Jesus would have been so pleased”.

“Her humanity was powerful and compelling, and we would do well to recognise her as an amazing example, a 21st-century good samaritan,” he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Floral tributes to Jo Cox in Birstall, West Yorkshire. Photograph: Logan Wider

“Jo was someone who went out of her way to help others. I regret to say I didn’t know what she was like as a girl, but she grew into a fervent advocate for the poor and oppressed.

“And though she must have been angry at times about what she saw here and around the world – those places she visited and worked – she seemed to me, at least, to be one who could fight with a passion and a disarming smile.”



Knight read the biblical story of the good samaritan and paid tribute to the actions and bravery of Bernard Kenny, 77, who tried to help the MP after she was attacked outside Birstall library on Thursday.



“There is much wickedness in our world. But thank God there is so much goodness, goodness that does not recognise colour nor nationality. Kenny showed the same passion for the stranger as Jo Cox did,” he said.

After Knight’s eulogy, parishioner Leif Wickes said prayers for the MP and her family. “Pray for Jo’s and Brendan’s children, still too young to understand the horror of what happened but old enough to suffer from the loss of their mother,” he said.

“As they grow up and hear about Jo’s life and achievements, may they be inspired to follow her example and serve the world’s underprivileged in their turn.”



Wickes also prayed for Kenny, who “despite his 77 years, intervened in the attack to try to save Jo’s life and was stabbed and badly injured. We give thanks for his courage and his example, and pray for his speedy recovery.”

A book of condolence in the church contained messages from the prime minister, David Cameron, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and the shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn.



Cameron wrote that politics had lost a huge talent and described Cox as a “loving mother, wife and a passionate campaigner and MP”.

Corbyn described her as a “totally committed campaigner for human rights and justice”.

Benn, the MP for the nearby constituency of Leeds Central, wrote: “In loving memory of Jo Cox. You were – and always will be – the best of humanity.”

In the Birstall sports and social club, locals wanting a lasting tribute to “our Jo” began a petition to change the name of the library in her honour.



Logan Wider, 29, a local HGV driver who suggested the idea, said the community had been devastated by her death and wanted it to be a fitting tribute.



“We were all very proud of Jo and we have been in tears about what has happened. It has totally devastated us. We want to do something to remember her,” he said.



“There is a lot of disillusion with politicians, but Jo was different. She cared about this place and she was one of us. It would be the right thing to do to have a lasting tribute to her.”

In the centre of Birstall, police lifted their cordon and floral tributes continued to be left near the shrine to Cox below the Joseph Priestley statue. Street pastors were on hand to offer support.

Mike Freeman, one of the four pastors, said they had arrived on Saturday and had spoken to dozens of people struggling to come to terms with their shock and grief. “We are here to listen to people and share their compassion,” he said. “We have lost count of the amount of people we have spoken to.”



As locals continued to pay their respects, a former BNP politician announced that he would contest Cox’s parliamentary seat in the Batley and Spen byelection.

Jack Buckby, a press officer for Liberty GB, which describes itself as an “anti-Islamisation party”, will stand in the election.

All the major parties have said they will not take part in the byelection following a plea by senior politicians for the seat to be uncontested.

Buckby’s announcement was criticised by many on social media, who said it showed a lack of respect.

Matthew McGee ‏tweeted: “Do the far right in this country have no respect whatsoever?”

Glynis Elliott ‏said: “This is so foul that it defies believe. Just appalling. I turn my back on you Jack Buckby.”

As a member of the BNP, Buckby had been described as a successor to the former Bparty leader Nick Griffin before joining Liberty GB shortly after it was founded in 2013.