On the field, Marcus Rashford still has plenty to play for.
Aged just 22, the Manchester United star probably has at least a decade’s worth of football ahead of him.
Ample time, you’d imagine, to pick up honours that have so far eluded him.
Premier League, Champions League, and even World Cup Winners’ medals will all be on his agenda. Football has so many prizes to offer Rashford in the exciting years ahead.
But outside of sport, it seems there’s very little else for him to win.
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The striker’s ongoing campaign to end food poverty – which allowed thousands of children to claim free school meal vouchers throughout the summer holidays in the coronavirus pandemic – has seen him earn a place on the cover of British Vogue (for the magazine’s Activism Now edition); an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester; and an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for 2020.
But Rashford now has the task of finding some more room within his rapidly diminishing shelf space.
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The striker has been listed as a trophy recipient in the upcoming Pride of Britain Awards: with Special Recognition.
Rashford is being given the prestigious honour for his continued fight to end child poverty – which has stepped up to a new level this month and captured the imagination of the British public.
The England star’s new campaign, which calls on the government to expand free school meals and increase the value of Healthy Start vouchers to at least £4.25 per week, was voted down in the House of Commons last week.
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But Rashford has already forced Downing Street into one u-turn this year and is hoping to do so again – claiming he is ‘not going anywhere’; with the government coming under increasing pressure to review the request.
Captain Tom Moore will also be celebrated at the Pride of Britain Awards
Rashford, who relied on free school dinners when he was growing up in Manchester, will be one of three Manchester winners at the 2020 Pride of Britain awards.
The others are Dena Murphy – a 92-year-old who has helped 300 ex-offender’s complete community service orders by teaching them allotment gardening – and Child of Courage Emmie Narayn-Nicholas who set up Emmie’s Kitchen after spending 100 nights at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Captain Tom Moore will also be celebrated at the ceremony – after the 99-year-old army veteran raised £27 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden.
The Pride of Britain Awards will be broadcast on November 1 on ITV 1.
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No trams to run on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
People are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as no trams are set to run on three major Greater Manchester Metrolink lines this weekend.
As part of a continuing £150 million investment in the Metrolink network across the region, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that more than 1km of track will be replaced on the Altrincham line, and work will also take place between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield to prepare for full track replacement later in the year.
As a result, there will be no trams on the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this Easter bank holiday weekend all day from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April.
On top of these line closures, there is also set to be disruption across other parts of the network too, as on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines, trams will run to Firswood only, and services on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square.
To keep people moving over the four-day weekend, replacement buses will run between all the affected stops, TfGM has confirmed.
Anyone using a replacement bus, however, will still need a valid Metrolink ticket or a one-day Bee bus ticket to travel, and customers will be able to use all existing options to buy these, as they will not be able to buy a ticket or pay for the fare on the replacement buses themselves.
No trams will be running on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend / Credit: TfGM
Replacement buses are said to be calling at ‘all affected stops’ along the lines, so customers are being told not to worry about that.
Speaking ahead of the improvement works being carried out this weekend, Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, said: “The first main upgrades of the year get under way over the Easter weekend, as our £150m programme to improve our network continues.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential work to ensure our tram network remains reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.”
TfGM has assured that staff will be out and on-hand across the network this weekend, but is urging anyone travelling to plan for their journeys ahead of time to make sure they go as smoothly as possible.
Looking ahead to the rest of the month, no trams will run between Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April while the track is repaired, and a further weekend closure for track repairs on the Ashton line will take place on Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April.
Find out more and plan ahead on the Bee Network’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
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Three men arrested after ‘shocking’ Salford pub fight leaves victim in life-threatening condition
Emily Sergeant
Three men have been arrested as police continue to appeal following a ‘shocking’ incident in Salford over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 2:51am yesterday (Sunday 29 March), officers were called to reports of an assault at a pub on Liverpool Road in Irlam, where it’s understood that an incident involving several males took place.
Police quickly attended the scene, and one male was rushed to hospital.
The man sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, where he’s said to remain in a life-threatening condition.
While officers are working ‘at speed’ on their investigation to establish the full circumstances of this incident, a scene is currently in place, and road closures are affecting the immediate area.
At this time, it has been confirmed that three men – all in their 20s – have been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault, and they remain in custody for further questioning while GMP renews its public appeal for information.
“This is a shocking incident and our thoughts are firmly with the victim and his family during this extremely difficult time,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Helen Bagnall, from GMP’s Salford district. “We are working at pace and remain absolutely committed to identifying everyone involved and bringing those responsible to justice.
“Three arrests have been made in connection with this incident, and we are continuing to appeal for further information.
“Officers remain committed to understand the full circumstances and are urging anyone with information to come forward to support our investigation.”
Can you help? A dedicated online Major Incident Public Portal has been set up, and information, CCTV, dashcam, doorbell, and phone images and footage can be submitted here, or you can also contact police on 101, quoting log 256 of 29/03/26.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
The Manc -
26th October 2020 
