October 18 - Day 148 (147.5) - 'There is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the story.' Frank Herbert

The final week has arrived (I hope) and plans remain to complete the 4500 miles on Thursday.

Cycling to work this morning, it seemed much darker and I couldn’t help but think about the tragic murder of Sir David Amess and the comments made by his family. Courageously, they asked ‘people to set aside their differences and show kindness and love to all.’

We do know that after events like this, people often become polarised and reaction and prejudice can take over from considered actions, understanding and thought. We all need to condemn and challenge violence and extremism of any kind. The event that this has been compared to, the murder of Jo Cox, was not the responsibility of someone linked to Islamist extremism, as has been identified with the murder of Sir Ames but by a far-right white-British extremist. The Manchester Arena attack On 22 May 2017, was caused by an Islamist extremist suicide bomber, tragically killing 22 people and injuring many more. The attacks in 2019 on the two mosques in New Zealand, which left 51 people dead and many more wounded, were identified to be the result of far-right extremism.

Two years on, a survivor who had been shot nine times during the attack on the Al Noor mosque, said it was caused by ‘racism and ignorance.’ “They were attacks on all of humanity,” The killing of David Amess and the deaths at Manchester arena and other terrorist incidents were all an attack on humanity but his family somehow had the strength to state, at their greatest time of need, that it is humanity’s responsibility to challenge prejudice and show kindness.

Before Joe Cox was killed, she worked hard to bring together the many divided parts of society and ensure that that those with the greatest needs were listened to and understood. She said, ‘Our communities have been deeply enhanced by immigration be it of Irish Catholics across the constituency or of Muslims from Gujarat in India or from Pakistan, principally from Kashmir.’ It is too easy for all of us to blame groups, let our anger turn into hatred or mistrust, rather than understand the need to challenge radicalisation and exploitation within all groups in society.

Joe’s widower, Brendan Cox has today said, ‘the message of unity from Sir David's family was so important because society needs to change its response to terrorism.’

"It's about denying terrorists what they want," he said. "They want that division so let's give them togetherness. They want that infamy so let's give them neglect.

The pain and loss felt by Davis Amess’s family is unimaginable and if they in this awful moment in their lives can challenge hatred and ask for togetherness and love for all, we , at the very least, should show them our support by following their request.