Someone has robbed the Rashford 1 – 0 Boris flag and its owner is raging
Yesterday, in the midst of all of the Marcus Rashford news regarding his whopping win over MPs who were refusing to provide free school meals to kids over the summer, a little bedsheet in Wythenshawe went viral.
Yesterday, in the midst of all of the Marcus Rashford news regarding his whopping win over MPs who were refusing to provide free school meals to kids over the summer, a little bedsheet in Wythenshawe went viral.
The bedsheet, fashioned into a flag, was created by the guys behind Facebook community Wythenshawe Whispers and friend of The Manc, Andrew Ellis, who is also one of the stars of This Is England. Yeah, there’s plenty of dynamics involved here.
The flag was then pinned up to a Welcome to Wythenshawe sign in a prominent part of the busy south Manchester town and it didn’t take long to go viral on social media.
The once used bedsheet then quickly found its way onto Twitter, being liked and shared by literally tens of thousands of people, including The National Football Museum, who saw an opportunity.
The flag had become instantly famous, and quite arguably, a piece of footballing and political history within hours – symbolising a rare win for the people that will result in thousands of children not going hungry during what will be a very tough summer for families in poverty.
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So, England’s most famous football shrine saw a place for it in their collection, and took to social media to find its owner.
During the lockdown period, our collections team have been chronicling how football has reacted to the pandemic.
— Nat. Football Museum (@FootballMuseum) June 17, 2020
But this story has a twist, and it’s not a surprising one at that. Because within hours of the flag going viral, some scoundrel had nicked it – and the National Football Museum are not happy.
— Nat. Football Museum (@FootballMuseum) June 17, 2020
It’s not currently known who stole the banner (obviously), or whether it was simply removed by council officials, or Boris Johnson himself (although it’s unlikely he’s ever stepped foot in Wythenshawe) – but one thing is for sure, whoever has it is a targeted man or woman.
If you do have the flag, do the right thing. Rashford’s rallying cry for a simple life necessity for children in need is the perfect symbol of standing up and getting the job done when the odds are stacked against you, and we think it’s important to have this small piece of history hanging in the middle of a football mecca in Manchester city centre.
So hand it in, you wally.
News
Entertainment union Equity makes £1 bid for Manchester Pride to protect workers from ‘further exploitation’
Emily Sergeant
Performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity has made a £1 bid for Manchester Pride.
You may remember that, back in October last year, Manchester Pride – the charity / organisation that ran the Manchester Pride Festival – entered into voluntary liquidation, and news emerged last week that the assets were being sold off to the highest bidder by liquidators.
By offering a ‘symbolic’ £1 for the assets – which include the Manchester Pride brand name and associated domain names – Equity says its bid has been made to give workers the opportunity to ‘decide the future’ of the event.
The bid is also said to have been made to prevent a repeat of 2025 – which apparently left Equity union members more than £70,000 out-of-pocket in unpaid fees.
Equity’s variety organiser, Nick Keegan, warned that selling the Manchester Pride brand to a commercial buyer risks ‘undermining the values’ of the event and the community that built it.
He worried it could also leave performers and workers ‘vulnerable to further exploitation’.
“Manchester Pride is not just a city-wide party,” Mr Keegan explained. “Its roots in protest are as important today as then.”
He added: “Manchester Pride was built by the LGBTQ+ workers of Canal St and beyond who provide a space and a community for LGBTQ+ people all year round. The event should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold off to the highest bidder.
“The cultural workforce are at the heart of Pride, without them, there is no festival.
“After what happened in 2025, with members left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket, we don’t want to see history repeat itself.”
Equity says that if its bid is successful, the workers will have control over who the ‘asset’ goes to.
“Our bid is about protecting Pride as a community asset, not a commercial one,” the union’s statement continued.
“Allowing the people whose labour was used to build this ‘asset’ to decide how the trademark of Manchester Pride is used in the future will help protect them from further exploitation, as well as preserve the values and the longevity of the event itself.”
Featured Image – Manchester Pride (Supplied)
News
New police hub to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour
Emily Sergeant
A new police hub is set to be established in Piccadilly Gardens.
In case you missed it, it was announced last week that council tax in Greater Manchester could be increased to help fund improvements to policing, and that a consultation on it has been launched – with local residents urged to have their say.
The police precept helps Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements, including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bringing more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.
Greater Manchester council tax is set to be increased again to help fund improvements to policing, and a consultation is now live. 🏘️🚔📝
But on top of this, Mayor Andy Burnham has also pledged to deliver a new police hub in Piccadilly Gardens as part of a wider drive to improve policing.
GMCA says its ‘top priority’ is to build strong communities where people feel safe, and it is Mayor Andy Burnham and his Deputy Mayors’ responsibility to enable GMP to be an ‘effective and efficient’ police force.
Local leaders say their ambition for 2026 is to maintain a ‘high-performing’ police service by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and protecting residents and businesses along the way – and part of this ambition is to increase police visibility in Piccadilly Gardens, which is a much-maligned part of the city centre, by launching a new ‘prominent’ police hub.
The increase in the police precept is also being touted to help increase ‘hot spot policing tactics’ in town centres and other key locations to help drive down theft and other violent retail crimes.
A new police hub is to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour / Credit: Gerald England (via Geograph) | Rawpixel
“We need GMP to be properly funded if it is to continue to deliver an effective and responsive service for people in Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham. “The cost of running a modern police force is going up and this is at a time when our city region has become the fastest-growing economy in the UK, with visitor numbers increasing year after year.
“So much is happening here and that includes a number of major and complex incidents over the past year, including a terrorist attack. These incidents added significant pressure to police resources.
“We recognise the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and do not take the decision to increase the precept lightly. But right now, this increase is our only option to ensure GMP can continue delivering an effective police service that ensures that people feel safe in their own communities.”
Sam Ridgway -
17th June 2020 
