Thirty five years ago, a bomb exploded in a Brighton hotel. Jo Berry’s father was killed and Jo’s life was changed. She was 27 when the bomb went off and she vowed to bring something positive out of the atrocity. Thirty five years later Jo’s commitment to work building bridges for peace is as strong…
Welcome to my first newsletter! After what I know is a long time since the last one, from now on we will be sending them out every two months with our and related news. So please encourage your friends and colleagues to subscribe on our website. Of course, if you don’t want to receive it,…
12 October 2019 On the 35th anniversary of the IRA bomb at the Grand Brighton Hotel in Brighton that killed her father, Jo Berry reflects on the impact that it has had on her and the subsequent work she has done for reconciliation. “I was 27 and vowed to bring something positive out of the…
20 September 2019 Jo Berry and Patrick Magee were asked back for the second time to speak with the young people from the Academy of Ubuntu leaders. Jo reports on the trip: ‘We gathered in Gaia near Porto and the audience represented 11 countries including East Timor, Columbia, Venezuela, Senegal, South Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Cape Verde,…
The Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) programme supports civil society and community organisations who work to create more resilient communities, stand up to extremism in all its forms and offer vulnerable individuals a positive alternative, regardless of race, faith, sexuality, age and gender. The programme allows organisations that share these aims to bid for…
In September 2019 Jo went back for a third time to Sacred Heart school in Liverpool. She spent a day with the first year of six form and another day with the second year. After starting with her story, she then asked them to look at themes throughout the day in small groups. The areas…
26 May 2019 Hundreds of people took park in three-day walk in memory of murdered journalist Lyra McKee. Lyra was shot dead by a dissident republican group, the New IRA. The 70 mile walk from Belfast to Derry took place five weeks after the journalist was murdered. Jo Berry was among the walkers. On the…
17 – 18 Nov 2018 Exeter Hope in Conflict – Saturday 17th November with Pádraig Ó Tuama. Venue: The Alumni Auditorium, The Forum, on Streatham Campus, University of Exeter, EX4 4PT. Registration at 9.30am for 10am start, finishes at 4.15pm. Open to those of all faiths and none. A summary of the Programme is available HERE….
Tackling polarization, building trust Jo Berry and Patrick Magee speaking about building trust after polarisation and moving from being ‘enemies’ to becoming friends. This event will start on Monday 17 July at 16:45 and end on Friday 21 July at 12:30. In Europe more and more people are isolating themselves, retreating into groups based on…
I spoke at three events in the last week of November and each has been amazing and powerful. The first event was Rising 2016 held in Coventry Cathedral where there were speakers for two days, the panel on violent extremism interested me greatly and Lord Alderdice asked us all in challenging times to find…