A CELEBRATION of love and equality is set to take place in the town centre at the weekend as members of the charity Hope Not Hate stand against division and racism.

As part of the national #MoreInCommon weekend, in which people throughout the country will come together to bridge the divide between communities, festivities will take place in The Parade on Saturday, September 3, from 11am.

There will be musical performances from various groups as well as a range of fun activities for children.

Annie Vickers, one of the organisers, said: “We are here to combat extremism and racism in all forms.

“Swindon is a culturally diverse place and we want to bring people together to show that we all have an awful lot in common.”

The name, #MoreInCommon, is a nod to Jo Cox MP, who was shot and stabbed outside her West Yorkshire constituency office in June. In her maiden speech in Parliament, she said: “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.”

Annie said: “I don’t think anyone would be comfortable with the idea that an MP should be killed for her views.

“More in Common is such a powerful statement I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t agree with it.”

Hope Not Hate is one of the charities that Brendan Cox, Jo Cox’s husband, said would receive a portion of the money – more than £1m – donated in Jo’s name after her death.

Annie said: “Hopefully it will be a great day next Saturday and the weather will be nice. There will be lots of music and things to keep the children entertained – everyone is welcome.”

Hannah Parry, development officer at Voluntary Action Swindon, said: “We have a lot more in common than that which divides us and this is a really positive way to show it. It is a real celebration of diversity in Swindon.”

Nick Lowles, Hope Not Hate chief executive, said: “Over the last few months we’ve seen Britain divided and split as never before. We see #MoreInCommon as the start of a process to bring communities back together once more.

“As Jo Cox famously said, we have far more in common and there is much more that unites us than divides. We truly believe this is the case and over the coming weekend we want everyone to celebrate what is best about their local community.”

For more information, visit the charity’s Facebook page on www.facebook.com/events/1256943007670306/