Marcus Rashford says he wants to “kill the stigma” associated with asking for support with food and resources.
The Manchester United star appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday to discuss his ongoing campaign to support children from low-income backgrounds.
The 22-year-old battled against MPs to win the right for free school meals to continue across the summer, and has now united Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Aldi with Deliveroo and charity FairShare to create a taskforce with a long-term vision to prevent child poverty in the UK.
Speaking with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on ITV, Rashford has said he’s managed to sit with some of the families he’s helped over the past few weeks, and he reiterated the importance of providing support to those who need it most.
'I'm driven to help as much as I can.'
Man Utd star Marcus Rashford is backing proposals to expand free school meals following his inspirational campaigning over the summer 👊
Now, the footballer is encouraging anyone who might be struggling to come forward.
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“If someone is in a position to help you should be comfortable to ask, we need people to ask for help to get them the help that they need,” Rashford explained.
“I really wanted to kill the stigma of asking for help. I want it to die.”
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Rashford also emphasised some of the dangers associated with children not being well-fed.
“If you’re not eating you’ve got no energy, you don’t feel comfortable going to school.
“[Children affected] just sleep all day because they’re physically drained.
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“It can be the beginning of homelessness or crime.”
He added: “My mum never got that help when she was younger.
“It just drives me more to to help as much as I can.”
The footballer also responded to a tweet by Tory MP Kevin Holinrake earlier this month, who claimed it was a “parent’s job to feed their children.”
Rashford urged the politician “to talk to families before tweeting.”
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“To this day I haven’t met one parent who hasn’t wanted or felt the responsibility to feed their children…” he added.
I would urge you to talk to families before tweeting. To this day I haven’t met one parent who hasn’t wanted or felt the responsibility to feed their children… https://t.co/J72VyRazbF
Rashford’s taskforce is endorsing three policy recommendations of the National Food Strategy.
These include the expansion of free school meals to every child from a household on universal credit or equivalent; the expansion of holiday provision (food and activities) to support all children on free school meals; and increasing the value of Healthy Start Vouchers to £4.25 a week up from £3.10.
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‘Groundbreaking’ new police team launches on Bee Network to make it one of the safest in the world
Emily Sergeant
A ‘groundbreaking’ new policing model aimed at making the Bee Network one of the safest public transport networks in the world has launched.
Described as being ‘pioneering’, the first-of-its-kind approach – named the Transport Policing and Crime Command (TPACC) – will bring Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) even closer together to tackle crime, antisocial behaviour, and safety issues across the region’s transport network.
So, how will it work then? Well, according to TfGM, the command will ‘effectively establish’ the Bee Network as GMP’s eleventh policing district.
It will bring together up to 300 personnel, including new police officers, who are all involved in keeping the network safe and providing greater reassurance to passengers travelling across the region.
Efforts to keep passengers safe on buses, trams, active travel routes, and roads across Greater Manchester will be ‘strengthened’ through the new team – improving co-ordination in response to incidents, and helping to reassure communities.
A ‘groundbreaking’ new police team has launched on the Bee Network to make it one of the safest in the world / Credit: TfGM
The new team will also incorporate the existing Roads Policing Unit within GMP that includes specialist functions such as the Central Ticket Office, the Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit, the motorbike unit, the Commercial Vehicle Unit, the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, and more.
Overall, the key focus of TPACC is to:
Increase public confidence on safety across the transport network
Reduce violence, antisocial behaviour and criminality across the transport network
Increase the number of users of the Bee Network across Greater Manchester
The launch of TPACC is said to represents ‘the next phase’ of Greater Manchester’s commitment to creating a ‘safer, more secure, and more welcoming’ transport network for everyone who lives, works, and travels across the region.
“I want a world-class Bee Network where everyone feels safe,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“Our new dedicated transport policing command will bring together more than 300 police and safety officers, with high-profile patrols across our roads and the Bee Network. It means a stronger presence in our communities and faster action when people need help.
“TPACC will also crack down on dangerous driving to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads, which have devastating consequences for families and communities.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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Two arrested after assaulting and burgling 90-year-old woman in Stockport suburb
Emily Sergeant
Two people have been arrested following reports of an assault and burglary at a 90-year-old woman’s home in a Stockport suburb.
While en-route to the incident in Heald Green – which was reported to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at around 2:30am on 29 October – officers located the victim’s vehicle being driven by an unknown man.
The stolen vehicle made off from police before it lost control, went up a grass verge, and collided with a stationary vehicle.
Police confirmed that a white British man, aged 41, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of a burglary and serious assault, while a white British woman, aged 47, was also later arrested on suspicion of burglary and serious assault – with both remaining in custody for questioning.
The victim, a 90-year-old woman, was taken to hospital for treatment and is being supported by specialist officers, although luckily, her injuries are not life-threatening.
Enquiries are now ongoing, and officers are working to establish the full circumstances of the shocking incident.
“This was undoubtedly a traumatic experience for the victim, and we have specialist officers supporting her through this investigation,” explained Detective Inspector Craig Turner, from Stockport CID.
“This was a violent burglary and thanks to the brave victim reporting it, our officers made two swift arrests with the suspects taken into police custody to be interviewed.
“We believe this was a targeted attack and there is no wider risk to the community. Extra patrols of officers have been deployed to the area to offer reassurance to members of the community. Please let them know if you have any concerns.
“We are committed to tackling dangerous offenders and keeping our communities safe from harm.”
The Manc -
14th September 2020 
