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
You can now have a private sleepover amongst all the history inside Manchester Museum
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum is now offering one lucky family the chance to have a sleepover with Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex.
For the first time in Manchester Museum’s history, one lucky family will be given the chance to experience an incredible night at the museum.
This unique opportunity is being offered as part of a prize draw, allowing visitors to find out what happens once the sun goes down inside the Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery – in the company of Stan, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, of course.
The Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery is one of the most iconic spaces within Manchester Museum.
Having opened to the public all the way back in 1888, it’s part of the museum’s original building designed by celebrated Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed Manchester Town Hall and London’s Natural History Museum.
Not only will the lucky winning family enjoy an overnight stay in the gallery, but they’ll also be treated to a guided torchlight tour of the galleries after the Museum has closed, as well as other fun activities and a film screening too before bed.
You can now have a private sleepover inside Manchester Museum / Credit: The Manc Group
“We can’t be completely sure what happens when the sun goes down in our Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery, because nobody has ever spent the night in there before, but we can only imagine the kind of fun that can be had with Stan the T. rex and his friends,” said Dean Whiteside, Head of Commercial and Operations at Manchester Museum.
“This is a chance to be a part of museum history and enjoy the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience you can’t usually buy.
“At the same time, Manchester Museum is a charity so, by getting behind this initiative, you’ll be helping to support vital work that impacts the lives of people across Greater Manchester and beyond.”
Fancy it then? You can enter the prize draw by buying a ticket for £5 from the Manchester Museum Shop, with each ticket counting as one entry and the winner set to be chosen at random from all valid entries.
The prize draw is now open and closes on Monday 28 September 2026.
Featured Image – Supplied
Art & Culture
Manchester’s biggest comedy festival returns this week and you can STILL get tickets
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s most popular comedy festival is back this week, and there’s still time to get tickets if you’re up for a laugh.
That’s right – Laughterama is back in Manchester from today (2 September), and will once again be taking over the iconic Castlefield Bowl in the heart of the city centre for five days of fun.
Thousands of comedy lovers attend Laughterama each year to enjoy countless sell-out stand-up sets, and this year will be no different, as festivalgoers are in for an ‘explosive series of shows‘ from some of the hottest names on the comedy circuit.
Jack Dee, Nick Mohammed, Sara Pascoe, Fern Brady, and Chris McCausland are just some of the famous names on this year’s jam-packed lineup.
They’ll be joined by other big names like Michelle De Swarte, Stewart Lee, Nina Conti, Ivo Graham, Ellis James, and Harriett Kemsley when they all take to the Castlefield Bowl stage over the five-day festival from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 September.
Some of the other names you can expect are BAFTA nominee Rose Matafeo, stand-up marvel Sarah Keyworth, Plebs and Friday Night Dinner star Tom Rosenthal, and podcast hero John Robbins.
It wouldn’t be Laughterama without some newcomers and breakthrough stars, of course, and on the lineup this year are viral sensation Vittorio Angelone, fast-rising talents Kiran Saggu and Jen Nolan, and BBC New Comedy Award finalist Evaldas Karosas.
Laughterama returns to Manchester later this week, and you still / Credit: Matt Eachus | Supplied
And aside from the comedy, as always, you can expect the very-best eats from Manchester’s street food scene will also be on site to tuck into, as well as an exciting selection of bars serving signature beers, cocktails, and more.
Laughterama 2026 is landing at Castlefield Bowl this week from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 September, with tickets now on sale at £29 per person.
Danny Jones -
14th February 2023 
