A number of local businesses in Greater Manchester are coming forward in support of Marcus Rashford by offering to provide food for children going hungry this half term.
Independent cafes, pubs and restaurants in Manchester city centre, Didsbury, Bolton, Wigan, Urmston and more are among the Greater Manchester businesses volunteering to lend a hand in an act of kindness sweeping the nation as we speak.
It comes following a bid to extend the free school meals voucher scheme over the school holidays until Easter 2021 which was rejected by the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, and then subsequently defeated after 322 Conservative MPs controversially voted against the extension in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The devastating outcome of this vote also arrived ahead of October half term, and shortly before Greater Manchester entered into Tier 3 restrictions under the government’s new three tier coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions scheme after a saga which saw Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham “fight for a fairer deal” for communities in the region.
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But luckily, local businesses are here to help out.
The Wythenshawe-born footballer took to Twitter yesterday evening to express his how “blown away” he is to see so many businesses across the country contribute. He said: “Blown away by news of local businesses stepping up to fill the voucher scheme deficit during the October half term.
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“Selflessness, kindness, togetherness, this is the England I know.”
Blown away by news of local businesses stepping up to fill the voucher scheme deficit during the October half term. Selflessness, kindness, togetherness, this is the England I know 🏴
Add #ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY to your tweets so I can track them. I will share as many as I can ♥️
Heaton Park Golf Course in Prestwhich, and Shelly B’s Cafe in Royton, Oldham are also offering packed meals for families to collect, Lords of Middleton butchers are offering a “meat voucher scheme”, and Heath St Fish & Chips in Golborne will be providing any child “in need” with a free chips and sausage, and will be donating fruit to add to the meals too.
The Mess Cafe and Message Community Grocery in Wythenshawe is offering a ‘pay with a post-it’ scheme, SANSAN in Prestwich is donating 10% of its profits this weekend to Fare Share Greater Manchester, Hunters Estate Agents in Leigh will be preparing lunch boxes with a sandwich, crisps, fruit and a drink for parents to collect, McDonalds UK is working with FareShare to “provide one million meals to families in need”, and kids can even eat free at M&S Cafe’s across the region this half term too.
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Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has also partnered with Coop to “provide 1,000 food vouchers across the city-region to young people who may need access to a meal during half-term”.
🗣️Greater Manchester is joining @coopuk and @MarcusRashford to provide 1,000 food vouchers across the city-region to young people who may need access to a meal during half-term
📣The voucher provides free access to a meal deal offer in local Co-op stores #wereallinthistogether
Some local councils in Greater Manchester – Manchester City Council, Salford City Council, Oldham Council, Rochdale Borough Council, Wigan Council, and Bury Council – have also stepped up to help, with others likely to follow.
NEWS: Thousands of children will receive free school meals during the half-term holiday as part of an initiative funded by the council. Read the full story here: https://t.co/Y2SAlyQYa2 👏 pic.twitter.com/CmAbJ0rC9r
We have no doubt that other businesses right across the ten Greater Manchester boroughs and neighbouring towns are likely to contribute support to this initiative, so if you are in need a helping hand this half term and as the winter draws in, please do not feel ashamed to reach out to those local to your area.
Or if you are struggling to find somewhere near to you that is offering its services, then do not hesitate to get in touch with us here at The Manc and we will be more than happy to help point you in the right direction.
Our DMs are always open, and we are here to listen.
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A number of participating businesses are also welcoming contributions from the public to help provide this service to as many children across the local communities as possible, so if you would like to make a donation, you are encouraged to reach out and see if there’s any way that you can be of support.
Contributions can also be made to food poverty relief charity Fareshare UK – the organisation that Marcus Rashford has partnered with for the ongoing the #endchildfoodpoverty campaign – via its website here.
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Times are turbulent, but real community spirit has never been stronger than it is at this moment.
To see the people of this region come together to support one another when it’s most needed perfectly illustrates what it means to be Mancunian.
This is what makes Greater Manchester so great.
We’re in this together.
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The best cheese tasting party in the North is BACK at a new Manchester venue
Danny Jones
That’s right, one of the biggest and best cheese tasting nights in the entire land is returning to Greater Manchester at a brand new city centre venue.
Not to be over-the-top, but this isn’t just another experience sampling possibly the greatest foodstuff on Earth, it’s a fully-fledged cheese-lovers’ party.
Some of you may have come across Homage2Fromage before, but for anyone unaware of the Yorkshire-born event, it started out as a monthly cheese tasting club and went on to expand across the dairy-adoring North at large.
Relaunching here in Manchester for 2026, all you lactose-intolerant people better watch, because Home2Fromage is coming back with a vengeance and heading to the Northern Quarter. Here’s how it went down the last time we visited one in Leeds:
Leeds, Sheffield, Harrogate, Manchester and who knows where else next.
Posting up in a relatively recent addition to NQ‘s bar and restaurant scene, The Faraday – a pub on Lever St that replaces the old Seven Sins back in October – it looks set to be an ideal venue for the regular evening series.
Homage2Fromage will be making its Manc return this month, and better still, they’re holding a cheeky little giveaway to sweeten the pot.
As in the deal, we mean – not the inevitable bowls full of olives, chutney, oil and various other dips…
To welcome this celebration of all things cheese coming back to Manchester city centre, they’re giving away a bunch of free tickets: 20 pairs in total.
Worth over £50 a piece for each twin set of tickets, you’d be a fool not to at least throw your hat in the ring for this one.
As you can see, the competition closes this Thursday, 19 February, ahead of the full relaunch party next week (Wed, 25 Feb), and all you have to do to enter is fill out this super quick survey.
It really is as simple as that; a few quick words are all that stand between you and a potential mountain of cheese and more.
You can find all you need to know about the event right HERE, and in case you haven’t popped into The Faraday just yet, see more down below.
It’s still somewhat early days, but we can see ourselves spending a fair bit of time in this up-and-coming Manchester watering hole, especially when there’s cheese nights involved.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Publicity pictures (supplied)
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Mancs start crowdfunder for Mani mural in honour of late, great, local music legend
Danny Jones
A group of Manchester artists, audiophiles and residents have started a fundraiser to create a new mural in memory of the late, great local music legend, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield.
Following The Stone Roses and Primal Scream bass player’s passing last year, the city and Greater Manchester as a whole have been finding ways to honour the Manc musician ever since.
Be it lining his funeral cortege from his home in Heaton Moor, Stockport, or peers like The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess penning heartfelt tributes, anyone and everyone has found their own way of paying their respects in the months since.
Taking the sustained sentiment even further, local art collective GRIT Studios is now planning to erect a massive mural in his memory.
We’re doing a massive mural for Manchester’s most loved son – Mani. All profits to @maggiesmanc a charity that was close to his heart.
Writing on the fundraising page’s description, GRIT say: “Inspired by Ian Brown’s eulogy to Mani at Manchester Cathedral, a major community crowdfunder is being launched to create a large-scale mural honouring the beloved bassist of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream and to raise funds for Maggie’s Manchester.
“The mural, which will be created in Failsworth, where young Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield grew up, has been initiated by the team at GRIT Studios following an overwhelming outpouring of love from fans across Greater Manchester and beyond.
“Mani’s brother, Greg Mounfield, is supporting this campaign and has facilitated a prominent, large wall space for the mural and chosen the design.
They go on to to explan that the piece “will be painted by the renowned artist Pic.One.Art, whose recent portrait of Noel and Liam Gallagher outside the iconic Sifters Records in Burnage became an instant landmark and received widespread attention.”
Speaking of Brown’s now viral speech, it still remains one of the most touching bits of public observance and shared mourning this city has ever seen – with a healthy little dose of Northern levity, of course.
@the.manc Yesterday, Manchester laid one of the city's greatest music legends, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, to rest at Manchester Cathedral. 🍋 Fellow band member and life-long friend Ian Brown read out a speech as hundreds gathered outside the cathedral to pay their respects to The Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist. Mani will be missed by many, and we send love to all his family and friends. ❤️ #manchester#mani#ianbrown#thestoneroses#stoneroses♬ original sound – The Manc
“Since Mani passed away in November, countless fans have expressed a desire to see a tribute in the place that shaped him in North Manchester”, they continue.
“GRIT Studios, the not-for-profit art studios organisation, has stepped forward to organise a community-led, crowdfunded project that celebrates Mani’s life, music and spirit.
“It will not only fund the creation of the mural, but all profits will go to Maggie’s Manchester, which was close to Mani and his wife Imelda’s hearts during her cancer treatment and for whom they fundraised.
With a target of £10,000 set and more than £6k already raised in just a matter of days, it looks to be a matter of when, not if, we’ll see Mani immortalised in paint, on brick and with typical Manc grit over in the borough of Oldham.
For anyone who wishes to contribute to the fast-growing Mani mural crowdfunder, you can do so HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd October 2020 
