Jo Cox appeal fund approaches £2m

A tweet from the The Jo Cox Foundation thanked all those who had donated to the fund.

The foundation was established by her husband and friends to raise money for causes close to Mrs Cox.

She was killed in Birstall in her Batley and Spen constituency on 16 June by Thomas Mair, who was jailed for life following a trial at the Old Bailey in November.

MPs and musicians released a version of a Rolling Stones song at Christmas to raise money.

A group of 20 MPs from across the political spectrum were joined by a community choir and singers KT Tunstall, Kaiser Chiefs’ frontman Ricky Wilson, Cockney Rebel’s Steve Harley, and David Gray to record You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

The government donated the VAT payable on the single and Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards waived their royalty payments.

The song reached number 136 in the final chart before Christmas.

Following what appeal organisers said was the ‘overwhelming generosity’ of almost 45,000 people in the days and weeks after the murder, £1.5m has been divided between three organisations which were close to her heart: The Royal Voluntary Service, Hope Not Hate and The White Helmets. Each of these organisations is investing the money to further Mrs Cox’s work in Batley and Spen, across the UK and in Syria respectively.

All money donated above £1.5m will be used to establish The Jo Cox Foundation which will advance the values and causes that she fought for in her life.

In her husband Brendan’s words: “Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy, and a zest for life that would exhaust most people. She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now, one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her.”