Manchester is home to some special people. And after yet another bumpy yearwhich has effectively amounted to one big lockdown, a small group of figures have inspired and led us through the tough times.
We’ve decided to kick-start a Manc of the Month series to give these people the plaudits they deserve.
Following on from our ‘The Mancs of the Year’ feature towards the end of 2020, we wanted to celebrate the individuals who have represented our region – and what better place to start than with the undisputed man of the moment, Marcus Rashford?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, you’ve properly heard the Wythenshawe-born Manchester United and England footballer’s name mentioned once or twice.
It’s been pretty hard to ignore what he’s achieved both on and off the pitch over the 17 months – and for very good reason.
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Unsurprisingly, after such remarkable achievements, the 23-year-old has received numerous awards and accolades to recognise his extraordinary acts of selflessness, including an MBE and an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester – the youngest person to ever achieve this feat.
So let’s run through some of his shining moments then, shall we?
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Credit: BBC / Paul Cooper
Feeding Britain’s Children
Taking it right back to where it all started, in March 2020 – a day after it was announced that schools right across the UK would be closing doors due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – Rashford published a now-viral Twitter thread that would prove to be the spark in making his name known just as much off the pitch as it is on it.
And from there, he never looked back.
On 19 March 2020, he partnered with FareShare UK – a food redistribution charity network made up of 18 independent organisations aimed at relieving food poverty and reducing food waste.
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“I want to understand the scale of the problem and how we can reach vulnerable children,” he said. “It’s not just schools. It’s community centres, breakfast clubs, etc that provide the only meal many kids get each day.
“No child should have to worry where their next meal is coming from.”
His ongoing mission to #EndChildFoodPoverty was deemed so inspiring by the nation that it became the subject of a dedicated BBC One documentary titled Marcus Rashford: Feeding Britain’s Children, released last December.
Guys, across the UK there are over 32,000 schools. Tomorrow all of these will close. Many of the children attending these schools rely on free meals, so I’ve spent the last few days talking to organisations to understand how this deficit is going to be filled. (1) pic.twitter.com/3Iusr6E9kM
Rashford’s partnership with FareShare was proving to have an undeniable impact on the lives of thousands of children across Greater Manchester and the UK, raising tens of millions of pounds in the process, but Rashford decided it just wasn’t enough.
If he really wanted to contribute to eradicating child food poverty, fundamental change had to come from higher up – the UK government.
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) June 14, 2020
Asking the government to #maketheUturn, Rashford launched a campaign to get free school meals distributed to all eligible children throughout the summer holidays.
The footballer then proceeded to win a £170 million COVID winter grant scheme to support vulnerable families and an extension of holiday activities, and food programme to 2021.
He also won the support and admiration of the nation in the process.
Becoming a Published Author
Aside from his fight to provide free school meals, and “kill the stigma” around asking for help, Marcus Rashford also has a passion for promoting the power of reading for children of all backgrounds.
As part of the campaign, 50,000 books were donated to around 850 schools in the UK to help disadvantaged children get the chance to read more.
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“Books are, and always will be, for every child,” Rashford said.
Taking his mission one step further, he joined forces with The Athletic journalist Carl Anka and performance psychologist Katie Warriner to write a book of his own – titled You Are A Champion: Unlock Your Potential, Find Your Voice And Be The Best You Can Be.
Released in May 2021, the book featured chapters containing stories from Rashford’s life to encourage children to learn more about culture, education, positivity, and female role models.
He even hopped on a Zoom call with former President of the United States Barack Obama to discuss the book’s release.
“He’s already ahead of where I was when I was 23,” Obama admitted.
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Here it is!
‘YOU are a Champion’. A guide that I hope will inspire ALL children to dream big and help those who need it most.
Although taking a stand against racism in the world of football is by no means a new talking point for Rashford, the abhorrent abuse aimed at himself and his two England teammates Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka following the Three Lions’ defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final earlier this month left him no other choice but to speak out.
“I will never apologise for who I am or where I came from,” he stated.
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) July 12, 2021
After the Akse-created Rashford mural in the South Manchester suburb Withington was daubed with graffiti hours following the England team’s loss, the community rallied around the local lad, covering the wall with thousands of heartwarming handwritten notes and messages of support.
All the messages left on the mural were carefully removed and preserved by Manchester City Council last week, with plans to make them available for education and public display in the future as an important and permanent reminder of just what a significant moment in the city and country’s cultural history this has been.
Because it’s almost impossible to include everything in that roundup, let’s not forget Rashford was also chosen as the cover star of British Vogue‘s annual activism issue, received Special Recognition at the Pride of Britain Awards and the 2020 Expert Panel Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and topped The Sunday Times Giving List 2021.
What else is there left to say?
The youngster has turned into one of the biggest role models of modern times and it’s really not hard to see why we’ve chosen him as our inaugural Manc of the Month.
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Never has Manchester been so proud of one of our own.
Featured Image – Twitter (@MarcusRashford)
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Plans to bring Greater Manchester’s rail services onto the Bee Network unveiled
Emily Sergeant
Ambitious plans to bring all rail services in Greater Manchester onto the Bee Network have been unveiled this week.
After the success of all the region’s buses returning to local control at the start of the year, Mayor Andy Burnham has set out Greater Manchester’s step-by-step plan to bring rail into the Bee Network by 2028, working alongside the rail industry to do this as the next part of his joined-up ‘London-style’ public transport system, which is intended to boost passenger numbers, and drive growth across the region.
Developed in partnership with the rail industry, Department for Transport (DfT) and Shadow Great British Rail, Mr Burnham says his plan is aimed at not only improving transport but unlocking major regeneration and housing opportunities on land around the region’s stations too.
Greater Manchester’s proposition is for eight commuter rail lines, covering 64 stations, to be brought into the Bee Network in three phases over the next five years.
Under the plan, the first two lines – which will work to connect Manchester to Glossop and Stalybridge, in Tameside – will join the Bee Network by December 2026, and then a further 32 stations, and all lines within Greater Manchester, would join by 2030.
Not only that, but Greater Manchester leaders have also committed to working with the Government and the rail industry to “improve reliability” and “implement service changes” to help drive growth too.
If all goes to plan, the first branded Bee Network train will be running by the end of 2026.
Bus, tram and train will finally be united in a tap-in, tap-out payment system with a daily cap offering much better value for money than existing rail fares.
Another major change is that TfGM has said it will work with the rail industry to accelerate the delivery of accessibility improvements – with more than 60% of stations on the eight lines set to have step-free access by 2028, compared to 43% at the end of 2024.
“Our rail system today is acting as a brake on growth and, as the UK’s fastest growing city-region, Greater Manchester deserves better,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, as he unveiled his plans this week.
“We need a railway that is reliable and fully integrated with the rest of the Bee Network to drive growth and deliver new homes with public transport connections on the doorstep.
“Our plan puts passengers first by delivering a simplified, joined-up public transport network, with better services, stations and overall experience. Only by making travel by train more reliable, simpler, flexible and accessible to everyone, will we convince more people to leave the car at home and make the switch to the Bee Network.”
If everything goes according to plan, it’s expected to boost the number of trips by train by 1.3 million each year.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
Manchester United reinstate season ticket of fan with dementia after fury over cancellation
Danny Jones
Manchester United have quickly reinstated the season ticket of a lifelong fan suffering from dementia after it was cancelled following confusion over his attendance.
The Premier League was met with huge backlash this week after a fan account on social media posted a message from a fellow supporter explaining how their grandfather had been stripped of his season ticket for supposedly failing to attend the last five games – only that wasn’t the case at all.
As detailed in the lengthy text shared countless times on X, the elderly fan who not only struggles with the neurological condition but also doesn’t own a mobile phone, has been using a paper ticket with a QR code printed on it ever since the majority of stadiums transitioned to largely digital ticketing systems.
Not only were many quick to point out that e-ticketing can be excluding for fans of a certain age and/or accessibility needs but the result in this instance could have been avoided had they taken into account an issue no doubt many other supporters face week in and week out.
@MUSTChair@MU_ST can you guys investigate this? I am not surprised but this is disgusting behaviour. Granted it's no doubt an automated IT system but the club need to make arrangements for the older/non IT fan
As the message goes on to explain, the QR code itself “hasn’t worked all season” and the stewards have simply been making an exception and letting him in on good faith and discretion, along with the presumption that there may have just been an error during the printing of the ticket.
However, since had and could not be scanned on each of these occasions, there was no real record of his entry on their database whatsoever, meaning that he unknowingly hit the limit of games supporters are allowed to miss before a season ticket can be removed.
As a result, not only was his season ticket of more than 45 years cancelled but his seat was immediately relisted for the ballot and quickly sold to someone else ahead of the Brighton game on Sunday, 21 January – at a now inflated price, no less.
Understandably, United supporters and various other clubs were left shocked by the error of the club, damning the decision as “shameful” and disgusting”, with many claiming that they are once again turning their back on so-called ‘legacy fans’.
One person replied: “Man United failing in their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act / Equality Act 2010, with regard to reasonable adjustments, and the club is now vulnerable to legal action […] Scandalous that clubs cannot just do the right thing anymore and only see fans as cash cows to exploit and (effectively) abuse as they see fit.”
What’s even more alarming is the worry that this has already or will happen again to other fans in similar situations, as a fellow Red responding to a response from the club reinforced the same concerns, claiming that they were unwilling to make reasonable adjustments for a family member with Alzheimer’s.
I'm the same. My mum has alzheimer's and I can't always go, especially to night matches but it maybe short notice so can't sell ticket. I asked if this could be taken into consideration at the end of the season and they said no. If you miss games then sell your ticket.
Thankfully, as per multiple outlets, the club has now at the very least rectified this particular mistake and although the club’s Director of Supporter Services had been “unhelpful” up until that point, the right steps have finally been taken.
On the other hand, as the original poster wrote following the update, “Good to hear this has now been resolved, but it should never have happened in the first place.”
Moreover, it’s clear that better measures and safeguarding practices need to be put into place when it comes to contingencies like this because although the Premier League has stated a full switch to digital e-tickets must be complete by the end of 2027 at the latest, there will always need to be exceptions.
As for ticket prices themselves, another banner up at Old Trafford after the club adjusted ticket prices and removed concessions across all categories for the remainder of the season – it read: £66 of your debt, not ours”. It’s not the first time fans have already protested since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s tenure began.
“£66 you’re taking the p*ss” sing those protesting behind the banner. There are also chants of “you’re forcing us out.” pic.twitter.com/L34l36uvXk
Emily Sergeant -
30th July 2021 
