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
Popular pumpkin patch attraction describes ‘catastrophic’ impact of Storm Boelo
Daisy Jackson
Bates Farm, one of the most popular pumpkin patch attractions in the North West, has shared its heartbreak after Storm Boelo forced its closure on the busiest day of the season.
The Warrington-based family farm said the financial impact has been ‘honestly catastrophic’, after they had to cancel all tickets for Sunday.
Sisters Ali and Fiona Wilshaw, who run the farm, said it was simply not safe to allow members of the public onto the farm in the storm, with ‘crazy’ gusts of wind.
They later shared a video that showed their marquee was badly damaged and many footpaths turned to deep mud.
The sisters said they were ‘heartbroken’ to have to close at such a busy time, but stressed to followers that ‘your safety and our integrity will always come first’.
On Saturday, as Storm Austen and Storm Boelo chased each other across the UK, several people shared videos of themselves getting battered by the weather at Bates Farm.
And it’s pretty clear from that why Ali and Fi decided to cancel all tickets and close for the day on Sunday.
They wrote: “We have put in so much love, energy and investment putting on this event at this scale. The cost to cancel and refund everyone today on our busiest day of the season is honestly catastrophic, but business aside, your safety and our integrity will always come first.
“To think last night we were running round Tesco trying to stock up on milk and now we are in the depths of recovering the site to go again tomorrow. All emails and enquiries are being responded to as quickly as possible and we are doing our best to open up more available slots next week.
“We are being tested like never before, but pulling together in true force. Huge shout out to the whole team and Farmer Fi the absolute queen in any crisis.
“Thank you all for your patience and especially thank you to those who have sent such kind words and support, we are so grateful to have customers like you.
“We will be back tomorrow to enjoy the remaining of this tough season, we are putting in so many provisions with wood chip paths, undercover seating and an indoor barn to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Ali & Fi.”
Anyone who had tickets to visit Bates Farm on Sunday will be refunded, and can book in for another date.
Bates Farm has safely reopened its autumnal experience and pumpkin patch today.
‘Violent’ Salford man jailed after raping two women he met on dating apps
Emily Sergeant
A man from Salford who police describe as ‘violent’ has been jailed after raping two women he met on dating apps.
Kenny Cox appeared at Manchester Crown Court for his sentencing last week (23 October) in relation to the rape of two women – one in November 2021 and one in September 2024.
The 46-year-old was arrested on 8 September 2024, charged and then remanded, before standing trial for both rapes in March 2025.
The trial, however, resulted in a hung jury, so a new trial commenced in August 2026, and Cox was then subsequently found guilty of two counts of rape and one of attempted rape.
It comes after, on 7 November 2021, one of the victims met up with Cox after connecting through a dating app. They went to a property in Salford, and after drinking alcohol together, the victim began to feel hazy and described herself as ‘feeling paralysed’ and ‘unable to move’.
It was during this time she was raped by the suspect.
After she was able to move, she left the property in a taxi and subsequently reported the incident to the police.
Cox was arrested on 14 November 2021 and bailed with stringent bail conditions not to contact the victim. But then, on 4 September 2024, he met up with a second victim, again after connecting through a dating app, and they went to a property in Salford where he raped her before she was able to leave and inform police.
Following the trial, Cox has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, with four years on licence.
He was also given an indefinite restraining order against the victims, and is subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
“I would firstly like to commend the strength of the victims in this case,” commented Detective Sergeant James Walsh, of GMP’s Salford Criminal Investigation Department. “They have gone through this trial process twice now and each time have has shown incredible courage to ensure Cox was put behind bars.
“He preyed on these women and is an violent, sexual offender.
“I hope this sentence and the subsequent sexual harm prevention order imposed gives the victims a sense of justice to help them try to move forward from this and put Kenny Cox firmly in their past where he belongs.”
Sam Ridgway -
17th June 2020 
