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.
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?
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.
“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.
“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.
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.
Never has Manchester been so proud of one of our own.
Featured Image – Twitter (@MarcusRashford)
News
Andy Burnham reveals plans to build underground tram and train line in Manchester by 2050
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has announced some ambitious long-term plans to build an underground tram and train line in Manchester.
As Greater Manchester sets its sights on a new era of economic growth, on the way to becoming a ‘second city’ to rival any other on the planet by 2050, Mayor Andy Burnham shared the city region’s blueprint for a ‘greener, fairer future’ this week – with underground transport plans being right the heart of it.
Mr Burnham says his vision for the next decade is to create a ‘thriving’ city region where everyone can ‘live a good life’.
Andy Burnham reveals plans to build an underground tram and train line in Manchester / Credit: TfGM
But it’s public transport where it seems some of the most significant changes are set to be made before 2050 arrives.
The Mayor revealed plans for new bus routes, tramlines, and train stations to connect ‘thriving communities’ across the city region with an integrated lower-cost transport system that’ll help more people get out and access new opportunities.
Construction of a tram stop to service new homes at Victoria North will also start by 2028, it has been confirmed, while work to bring Metrolink to Stockport – which has already been announced to huge support – will begin by 2030.
Two commuter rail lines will join the Bee Network next December as well, with another six joining by 2028.
GM is growing fast.
We will expand @BeeNetwork over the next decade to meet the needs of our bigger economy.
BUT
There’s a limit to what we can do on a congested surface.
It’s why I am asking TfGM to start planning for an underground for GM around a remodelled Piccadilly. pic.twitter.com/k2ozNWw6Wj
The headline-grabbing announcement, though, has to be that Mr Burnham has also announced plans to unlock ‘transformative’ investment in transport infrastructure, so that by 2050, Manchester Piccadilly has an underground tram and train station with a high-speed rail link to Liverpool.
He’s also looking to boost regeneration of the surrounding area, effectively making it ‘the Kings Cross of the North’.
“We’re the UK’s fastest growing economy and stand on the cusp of what I believe could be our best decade since the Victorian era,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, “and our task for the next decade is to build a platform for success for all our residents.
“Our vision is ambitious, but in my eight years as Mayor, I’ve learned that, when we pull together, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.
“There’s a long and proud tradition of collaboration in Greater Manchester. Devolution has turbocharged that and now we’re ready to deliver a new model of growth where no one is left behind.”
Featured Image – Maria Lupan (via Unsplash)
News
A preview of a promising philanthropic project as Embassy Village makes progress
Danny Jones
Embassy Village, the upcoming homeless village that is set to open in Manchester, is making quick progress, and we recently got to preview the project with an early tour of the site.
Located just outside the city centre proper in Castlefield and near the border into Salford, the humanitarian housing project is looking to provide not just shelter but food and drink, employment, education and all manner of support to local rough sleepers.
Starting out as a controversial shipping container concept, which would have seen repurposed bits of old freight cargo turned into ‘pods’, the idea has grown since then and now
In fact, they’re not far from being done, with the team currently predicting a November finish date. Here’s how it’s looking so far.
Credit: The Manc Group
Situated along a slice of the Bridgewater Canal, running along the length of the recognisable railway arches – 22 of them, to be precise – Embassy Village is set to become the first privately-funded homeless community not just in the UK but anywhere in Europe.
As far as the group behind this inspiring bit of philanthropy can tell in researching for this development, they haven’t found anything like this anywhere on the continent, certainly not on this scale.
Starting out as a repurposed luxury tour bus turned mobile rough sleeping shelter, they have since gone on to run three male and two women’s shelters, helping more than 175 individuals get back on their feet, from being rehomed to getting back into work and, ultimately, living independently.
Created by co-founder and director Sid Williams back in 2018, who has already helped countless vulnerable adults in and around Greater Manchester, there is a lot of faith behind this initiative, quite literally, in fact.
Sid and his wife Tess, who has also been helping spearhead Embassy‘s work here in the UK, are passionate Christians, but there’s no dogmatic or preachy vibes to be detected – at least as far as we could tell, anyway.
The ‘Village Hall’, where work, education and general life skills will be developed.Outdoor spaces are being carved out, including areas to relax, sports courtsand more.Suitable candidates in the shelter system will be selected in order to identify those who could manage resettlement. (Credit: The Manc)
Besides a nice ‘tithing’ idea, which sees 10% of all unrestricted funds from the village donated to relevant charities in the region and further afield, the only real Christian value being promoted here is ‘love thy neighbour’, and that’s the kind of ethos we can get behind regardless of creed.
You can see some of the old fashioned values in aspects such as the public hall seen above, where people will not only be encouraged to gather but learn, create, socialise and once again start to reintegrate into a proper community.
There’ll even be parts of the Embassy’s ‘resettlement team’ living on-site to help get people back on their feet, with at least one dedicated staff member assigned to every six residents.
As Sid put it in a spin on the well-trodden old proverb, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, he believes that sometimes, “it takes a city to raise a village.”
Those staying here will not be given a leg up back into the working world, providing inroads to full-time contracts and a proper wage, but they will also be encouraged to take up wellbeing activities, taken on trips and away days beyond the city limits and Greater Manchester full stop.
An example of the on-site staff’s living quarters.Each unit will have it own front door and all essential amenities.They have an approximate 92% success rate when it comes to rehoming and reintegrating residents, with many ultimately coming back to work for the organisation. Think of it as a ‘pay it forward’ spirit,
With dozens of local businesses contributing to the construction of Embassy Village, they’ve now managed to raise more than £5.2 million in funding.
As well as backing from developers Capital & Centric (led by Salford-born Tim Heatley) and the likes of regeneration specialist Peel L&P, who made the land available, there are several other organisations chipping in to help house upwards of 40 different individuals.
That being said, they are still roughly £400,000 short of their desired target, which will help them build every aspect of Embassy Village they’re hoping to make come to fruition, so further partnerships are obviously welcome.
Following an official update from Manchester City Council, we can also now confirm that the space will link up to the soon-to-be expanded Castlefield Viaduct, where three of four currently out-of-use tram lines will be turned into one long sky garden, similar to New York’s famous High Line.
The National Trust has announced that the @NTCastleDuct 'sky park' has received a whopping £2.75m funding towards a major extension. 🌿🏙
Following our tour of Embassy Village so far, there was one salient takeaway: there are a lot of people who really care about this cause working on this project.
Is it perfect? Maybe not? Would it be great if we could simply end Greater Manchester’s rough sleeping crisis by housing every rough sleeper in a traditional home, or one of the many new build properties in 0161? Of course it would, but we sadly all know it isn’t as simple as that.
Nevertheless, this current option is damn sight better than the alternative: allowing more and more people to end up on the streets, bouncing in and out of shelters, struggling with addiction, mental health and so on. They’re trying and they already have a proven track record spanning more than half a decade.
You can get a better idea of what it will look like when completed down below.
Emily Sergeant -
30th July 2021 
