Manchester United are opening up the doors of their Red Cafe to the local community for December, providing “warm spaces” to those set to struggle over the coming months.
As part of the club’s winter campaign, United by Your Side, the Red Cafe will provide a safe space for people to stay warm, eat, drink and chat.
The area will be available to absolutely everyone and completely free of charge every Monday and Wednesday for the next three weeks, starting on 6 December from 5:00-8:00pm.
People can arrive and register via the North Stand reception (Sir Alex Ferguson Stand), before being guided to the Red Cafe and left to get warm, enjoy hot beverages and plenty of snacks, as well as socialise.
Crucially, another objective of the Red Cafe’s United by Your Side scheme is helping combat loneliness, as a big part of the warm spaces are the ‘talking benches’ located on the forecourt at Old Trafford.
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Signposted as a welcoming place for people who feel alone or are simply worried, shy or anxious to sit and talk to others, this area is designed for people to look after one another and reach out during a period when we’re all encouraged to be more giving.
As United’s COO Collette Roche detailed in an official statement: “Whether Christmas is part of people’s life or not, the festive period can be a difficult time for many. It’s a time of year that puts extra pressure on people and can affect mental health and wellbeing in lots of different ways.
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“Through our United by Your Side campaign, we want people who are struggling to know that they are not alone, particularly in our local community. We want to make Old Trafford a second home by providing winter accessories, company, warmth and food for those who need it.”
In addition, today (Friday 2 December), fans are drumming up extra support for the United Foundation and homeless charity Centrepoint by staging a fundraising sleepout in the Munich Tunnel.
The club is working with the council and several local and national charities like Centrepoint to deliver the initiatives and communicate them to people who need it most.
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Eleanor Roaf, Director of Public Health at Trafford Council, said: “This year with the increase in the cost of heating and food, many people are likely to find winter and the festive period challenging.
“I’m delighted that Manchester United are opening their Red Cafe and providing this space with hot snacks and drinks. This helps to how football is at the heart of our borough.”
Manchester Mind are also playing a key role in the campaign. The CEO of the mental health charity’s Mancunian arm, Elizabeth Simpson, said: “We know that many people are struggling at the moment due to the cost of living crisis and that this is impacting their mental health.”
She went on to note these added pressures on top of an already busy and often stressful time of year “can feel overwhelming and isolating”, which is why initiatives like United By Your Side are so important.
The sleepout alone has already raised nearly £15,000 at the time of writing and the lifeline the warm spaces set up in Old Trafford will provide cannot be overstated.
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Moreover, while it fills our hearts to hear of local institutions like this doing their bit to help people in the community, it’s heartbreaking to know that warm banks are even required. Sadly, United are by no means the only organisation that felt it was necessary to offer up this kind of support.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, loneliness, rising costs or simply not knowing where to go for help, please send them to Manchester Mind’s cost of living information, their wellbeing hub and be sure to make them aware of warm spaces like those at Red Cafe if they need it.
Well done to the club and the associated charities for setting up such vital resources and a safe haven this December. United by name, united by nature.
*Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 16 and due to United’s EFL Cup fixture against Burnley on Wednesday 21 December, the Red Cafe will open on Thursday 22 December instead.
Featured Image — Manchester United/Dayne Topkin (via Unsplash)
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Man United broadcaster FlexUTD responds after suffering ‘awful’ racist abuse on camera
Danny Jones
Manchester United content creator, YouTuber and digital presenter, FlexUTD, has shared a disappointed but defiant response following a racist incident captured during a video after the game this weekend.
Flex – real name Flex Alexander – is a familiar face among Man United fans and a well-known personality across the online English football culture, having previously worked with another popular fan channel in The United Stand before founding his own brand, United View.
Whilst recording his regular post-match analysis outside Old Trafford after the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, the social media influencer was interrupted by a woman and fellow United supporter.
After seemingly giving someone a quick shout-out, she then proceeds to wander out of frame before appearing to utter a racial slur off-camera in the form of an offensive twist on the fan base’s famous anti-Glazer chant.
In the video shared to the official YouTube channel, he is visibly stunned by the racist outburst and members of the crew behind the camera can also be heard asking, “Did you just see what I think you said?”, adding “There’s always one or two.”
The identity of the female United fan is still unknown and although her face remains blurred for legal reasons, Flex himself did come out on social media to ask people to “find this woman” in order for the club to identify her and the authorities to punish her accordingly.
Still taken aback by the racial slur, Flex simply goes on to describe the off-hand abuse as “crazy” before insisting that the moment will be staying the full edit so as not to let the incident go unnoticed.
Ever since the video was released, other Reds, football fans and content creators alike have been sharing their support online.
One person wrote, “It’s 2024 and we’re still seeing people saying racist things and they think they can get away with it. Hope Flex gets justice for this.”, while another tagged the club and added: “Can’t be having these type of fans enter the stadium.”
Flex has since responded online in a separate video, thanking people for their heartfelt messages, but despite assuring that he has a “thick skin”, he quite rightly went on to add that people of colour shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of intolerable behaviour and he is simply “tired”.
Disgraceful. Hope your ok @FlexUTD we are all united together ❤️
Retired striker and former United coach Benni McCarthy also reached out online to offer some kind words, writing: “Hi mate, hope you [are] ok. That was absolutely unnecessary and you shouldn’t have to deal with such behaviour. Stay strong bro and behind you all the way.”
The club themselves are yet to issue a statement regarding the incident but with both current players and former staff responding, it likely won’t be long before the individual is identified and issued with a ban. United had to deal with similar incidents regarding racism and homophobia last season.
It goes without saying that we condemn discrimination in all its forms; our thoughts go out to Flex and everyone else affected by the incident and hope the incident is dealt with swiftly. The beautiful game is for everyone and there’s no room for racism in any walk of life. #KickItOut.
You can watch Flex’s full video addressing the situation, in which he urged people to “stay strong, keep fighting” and “stick together”, down below:
FlexUTD’s full response following the appalling racist incident on 4/11/2024.
Featured Images — United We Stand (via YouTube)/FlexUTD (via X)
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Family pays tribute to ‘big family man’ found dead 10 days after going missing
Daisy Jackson
The family of a man who was found dead in Wigan 10 days after he was reported missing have now paid a touching tribute to him.
David Edmonds, 55, has been described by his loved ones as a ‘big family man’ who loved sports, travel and his family.
David had been missing for nine days after last being seen in the Bodmin Drive area of Platt Bridge at around 11pm on Sunday 20 October.
Tragically after extensive searches, on Wednesday 30 October police found a body, later confirmed as David.
His wife has now released a statement on behalf of his family, describing him as a ‘happy chap’ who was well-loved by his family, friends and colleagues.
She said: “He was a hard worker and worked all his life. His first job was with his father at a local factory, and he worked there from a young age up until recently.
“He was a big Everton supporter and loved going to the matches. He held season tickets since he was a child. David liked all sports and watching anything with a ball, cricket, football, and rugby, especially Wigan rugby.
“He also liked horse racing; we would go to the races in York every year.
“He loved going on holiday and we travelled a lot together, we went to Australia, New York, Tenerife, and Benidorm.
“David was a big family man and adored his three nephews. He will be missed by all of us, he was so loved.
“We would like to thank the police and everyone who shared appeals on social media or went out searching for David.”
David’s family have asked for privacy whilst they grieve his loss.