A local dad has drawn a crazily good portrait of Marcus Rashford and the reaction has been so incredible that he was invited along to meet the man himself, as well as various members of the Manchester United team.
Jasen Jackiw, 38, is a business owner and dad of two from Hale who also happens to turn his hand to fine art from time to time. And when we say fine art, we mean it in every sense of the word.
Sharing a timelapse of how he created the unbelievable portrait entitled over countless hours, Jasen simply captioned the post: “The journey watch worth it!”
Titling the piece Be a King, the portrait was done entirely in pencil and charcoal and was “framed professionally with a high-end black gloss finish with silver trim and white gloss inner frame”, which he admits “wasn’t cheap”. It’s clear that a lot of time and love went into this.
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Pictured as a reflection of the king of the jungle, both individual drawings are just as impressive as each other, completed to a truly remarkable level of detail. Jasen said he started the project in lockdown, gradually doing an hour or two here and there when he had some spare time. Quite the undertaking.
Posting the final image on social media, the Greater Manchester dad said he wanted to make Rashford aware of it for no other reason than to simply “shake his hand and thank him for his England, United efforts and all he does for the community”, offering the portrait as a token of appreciation.
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He got his wish and then some, as both he and his family were invited along to meet Rashford and the rest of the United squad.
Getting a call from the club just a day after sharing his artwork, Jasen and his son Masen were invited to meet Man United’s number 10 and the rest of the Red Devils down at the team’s AON Training Complex in Carrington.
Speaking to the MEN, Jasen went on to say: “My son was half crying at this point we couldn’t believe what was happening. We met the manager and the team and they all had a photograph with my boy.
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“What a dream day it was. We were able to stay to watch them train. We sat in the car afterwards and my son said ‘I can’t believe what’s just happened dad’.” The stuff of dreams not only for the artistic dad but his little lad as well — you love to see it.
Huge props to you, Jase, and we look forward to hopefully seeing more incredible creations from you in the future!
Featured Image — Jasen Jackiw (via Facebook/Instagram)
Art & Culture
The best light trails around Greater Manchester to explore this winter
Daisy Jackson
Well done Manchester, we’ve finally done it – with the amount of light trails illuminating our skyline this winter, you might be able to see us from space.
Who doesn’t love a light trail? The incredible views that brighten up the dreary winter nights, the synchronised wows as we gaze at the statues and figures along the way, or the hot chocolate waiting for you at the end that greets you like a warm hug.
That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best light trails around Greater Manchester for you to explore this winter.
The 10 best Christmas light trails in and around Manchester 2024
1. Yuletide – Tatton Park
A festive event with a difference is taking over Tatton Park this winter, bringing folklore stories to life with illuminated puppets, live music and storytelling.
The latest seasonal event from Wild Rumpus, ‘Yuletide’ will captivate families as they explore the stunning illuminated landscape.
Organisers say the captivating event promises to be a ‘truly magical experience’.
We’ve found a light trail with a difference for you to explore this winter – a magical world of glowing lanterns has taken over Gulliver’s World, and it’s a brand-new installation for 2024.
‘Land of Lights’ is a one-mile trail that showcases a huge array of lanterns and displays, with loads of nature-inspired enchanting realms to explore from Fantasy Forest, Ice Kingdom and Winged Wonders.
Plus you can treat yourself to a hot chocolate or toast some marshmallows on your way round, and then fill yourself up with Yorkshire pudding wraps and crumble at the end.
The Trafford Centre‘s hidden woodland has been transformed into a festive wonderland, with stunning light displays, Santa’s sleigh and, of course, mulled wine at the ready for the adults.
There are even free marshmallow toasting and letter-writing stations for the kids to get their Christmas lists ready.
Then there’s food from Freight Island’s traders, including premium smashed burgers from a Michelin chef, southern fried buttermilk chicken, cheese toasties and more. Plus, kids eat free for ticket holders when buying an adult meal.
Dates: On now until 2 January
Tickets: £8 for children, £10 for adults, £32 for families
Ignite Fire Festival is back in Rochdale this month. (Credit: Supplied)
Goblets of fire, a daisy chain of flaming flowers, a firebird with blazing eyes and even fire eaters – it could only be the return of ‘Ignite Fire Festival’.
Rochdale will be looking extra glowy next week when the free event by Walk the Plank arts group fills the gardens opposite @rochdaletownhall with dazzling pyrotechnic displays.
There’ll be three nights of fiery displays, culminating in the annual Christmas lights switch-on.
A new festive light maze is heading to Cheshire for the first time this December. (Credit: Supplied)
There’s a brand-new festive light maze heading to Cheshire this Christmas, and it sounds absolutely a-maze-ing (so, so sorry).
‘A World of Illumination’ will feature giant candy canes, tunnels of light, and an overhead laser show all hidden inside a festive maze. There’s much more than meets the eye with this light trail and
And the eagle-eyed amongst you can look out for hidden handles and buttons which lead to secret rooms and festive treasures.
Arguably the toast of Cheshire’s light trail offerings. (Credit: Supplied)
This National Trust site is one of the founding godfathers when it comes to light trails and has been consistent ever since they first lit up the iconic house and its gardens.
Whether your favourite part is the lit-up moat, the array of bright figures and statues, or toasting a marshmallow, Dunham Massey has got you covered.
Being an important hub for wildlife, each ticket sold helps with the conservation and care of this UK historical landmark.
Running for four nights only in December, the festival aptly named after what your Mum shouts five times a day is back in Bolton town centre.
This festival prides itself on bringing experiences to all and this year visitors get to admire ‘Gaia’.
This six-metre-wide illuminated Earth replica will be on display throughout the festival’s duration, and is a direct detail comparison of the imagery NASA utilises. Wow!
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Dates: 5-8 December
Tickets: Free
Bookings: No tickets required
10. Lightwaves Salford – MediaCityUK
This Salford special has stood as one of the most beloved light trails in Manchester for some time now.
Spread across two kilometres and branded as ‘MediaCity‘s winter season highlight’, this experience features 14 different art installations that are set to be awe-inspiring.
One of the most engaging pieces, ‘I Caught a…’, will change throughout the night with a varying display of animals pictured in a cage.
Originally commissioned in 2021, ‘Through No 4’ will receive a glow-up with some innovative lights helping to really enhance this pretty little project located along Salford Quays.
Blood Brothers at Palace Theatre, Manchester – a timeless classic
Greg James
Bill Kenwright’s production of Blood Brothers surpassed 10,000 performances in London’s West End making it one of only three musicals ever to achieve that monumental milestone – and now it’s visiting us here in Manchester.
“Oh Bright New Day”, Blood Brothers has just landed back at the Palace Theatre. This musical written by Willy Russell is a British piece of theatre that is a staple in the musical theatre tapestry of our country.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with this iconic story, it is an emotional tale of two twins who are separated at birth and grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with the most fateful of consequences.
The story’s central character, Mrs Johnston is the linchpin in this whole story and carries us through the show.
This role has been played by many superb women over the years including Mel C, Kiki Dee, Barbara Dickson and nearly all of the Nolan Sisters. This time, Mrs Johnston is performed by Vivienne Carlyle who provides a lovely maternal performance.
The other two lead roles are Mickey and Eddie, played by Sean Jones and Joe Sleight respectively.
These are really complex roles to play as the actors have to portray the characters from early school years to grown adults.
The cast of Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack MerrimanSean Jones, Gemma Brodrick and Joe Slight in Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman
Sean Jones has been playing the role of Mickey now for nearly 25 years and so he is no stranger to this character. And I must say, he still fantastically plays the part, even when playing young Mickey, and the show really takes off when he enters the stage.
Joe Sleight is someone who I had not seen in the role of Eddie before and he gave just as strong a performance as Jones. He offered a real contrast to his counterpart with a really beautiful, touching performance.
The whole ensemble did a gorgeous job of helping to carry these characters throughout the musical, showing a real flair for multi-roling and beautiful musicality in the group numbers too.
Something which elevates this already gripping story though is the music. There are many recurring musical motifs throughout the show that on the surface may come off as repetitive but they offer perspective on how things can evolve and change over time.
Of course the song though that everybody is perhaps familiar with is the power ballad, ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’. This is the climax of the show and what a climax it is. There’s not a dry eye in the house when we reach this point of the story, I can assure you!
So, whether you are returning to watch this show again, perhaps know the story from studying it in English GCSE or seeing it for the first time, it will always be an absolutely timeless classic.
Blood Brothers is on at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until Saturday 30 November. Tickets are available HERE.
Danny Jones -
14th February 2023 
