July 2 - Day 87 - If I had my way, I'd remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead. Roald Dahl

An extra July would certainly have been useful this year - especially if the weather had been good - not least for those times when you wanted to, under the restrictions, meet someone outside and sat shivering trying to focus on the conversation and not your toes going numb.

The by-election in Batley and Spen, resulting in Kim Leadbeater now representing the seat previously held by her sister Jo Cox, murdered there in 2016, brought back memories of the ‘Great Get Togethers.’ Since 2017 millions of people have taken part in events to bring people closer together, inspired by one of the phrases used in Jo’s first speech in Parliament, “We have more in common than that which divides us.”

In previous blogs, I have talked about the impact of the last year being greater on those who already have less and with the Jo Cox foundation’s recent focus on loneliness and creating a fairer world, it seems that St Wilfrid’s Centre has much in common with those principles. Jo Cox said, "Young or old, loneliness doesn't discriminate...it is something many of us could easily help with." . The past year has exaggerated this for many people and as we move out of lockdown and begin to meet friends and family again, for many people that loneliness continues, even when they are with others. It is something we all need to help with and with your support St Wilfrid’s Centre will continue to do so.

As we approach the weekend, I thought I’d end on a slightly lighter quote for all of us who are proud to be from Yorkshire and recognise what our diverse communities have in common. ‘I am proud that I was made in Yorkshire, and I am proud of the things we make in Yorkshire. Britain should be proud of that, too.’ Jo Cox.