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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‘Nothing is eternal’: Is Pep Guardiola hinting at the end of Manchester City’s supremacy?
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola looks to have suggested that more than a decade of Manchester City’s supremacy and Premier League dominance at the very least might be coming to an end.
Speaking in his post-match press interviews after City were knocked out of the Champions League by serial European Cup winners Real Madrid, Guardiola cut a somewhat more deflated figure than usual following the 3-1 defeat.
A Kylian Mbappe hattrick which was closed out within an hour of play was enough to stretch the aggregate score to 6-3 over the two legs and Madrid doubling their lead across the tie proved yet again why, not unlike City domestically over the last decade, they’re the kings of the continental competition.
In contrast, however, Pep seemed to accept the loss much more easily than perhaps we’ve seen in the past and rather than appearing familiarly frustrated or defiant in the press conference; instead, he seemed rather reflective, responding to one reporter: “Nothing is eternal”.
🗣️ "Nothing is eternal" – Pep Guardiola.
🔵 Subscribe to our Manchester City page on BBC Sounds for the latest interviews. #MCFC#bbcfootball
Insisting that they have to decide whether a significant rebuild is needed to keep competing at the very top level consistently as they have done since the 54-year-old arrived back in 2016, he argued that it is only with that they’ll be able to determine what comes next.
As for the result itself, he made no bones about Carlo Ancelotti’s side having “deserved it”, stating simply that “the best team won” and that fans and players alike have to “accept the reality: they were better.”
Having been a familiar foe for Pep long before he arrived in Manchester, both at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – not to mention City having faced Los Blancos a dozen times before Tuesday night since 2012 – there have been less surprising outcomes for supporters to come to terms with.
“With time, the club and everyone is going to accept what it is but for now we have 30/40 games for the Premier League next season to try and be here [in the Champions League] and to improve. Nothing is eternal”, said the Catalan coaching genius.
On the other hand, he also went on to add that it was merely a reflection on the night itself and not what his team have achieved in recent years.
He went on to remark that “when we were playing outstanding it hurt more” to be knocked out of the UCL when he felt they deserved to stay in it, but still insisted: “We have been unbelievable and we have to try step by step to get better from today.” Tonight just wasn’t the night.
Who knows? Perhaps it was just some more melodrama from a manager with an undeniable flare for pageantry and playing into/in the face of narratives when he doesn’t come out on top – which hasn’t happened all that often until their dip in form this season.
Plus, there’s certainly still plenty for him and the fans to be positive about; not only has the arrival of their ‘Egyptian Prince’ and the media’s Mo Salah successor, Omar Marmoush, got plenty of people excited – especially after that first-half hattrick against Newcastle – but so too have the other January signings.
In fact, for all of his downplaying in this particular presser (which you can hear in full HERE), it felt like there were only upsides after their victory over Newcastle, even going so far as to dub new signing Nico Gonzalez a ‘mini-Rodri‘.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Pep is right, nothing is eternal – but sometimes you just come up against talents like Mbappe and there’s very little anyone can do about it.
Shepherd’s pie named among classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next decade
Emily Sergeant
Shepherd’s pie has been named among the classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next 10 years.
From a hearty roast dinner on a Sunday, to a slap-up full English breakfast to start the day, classic British dishes have become staples on dinner tables across the nation, all known and loved for their comforting flavours and cultural significance… but apparently, Google searches for ‘shepherd’s pie recipe’ are down 55% in the past year, indicating that less and less people looking to create this traditional dish at home.
So with this in mind, air fryer giants Ninja Kitchen decided to carry out a new study by surveying 2,000 people and studying search trends for popular British dishes to uncover which meals are still loved, and which might be nothing more than a distant memory.
Shockingly, the new study revealed that shepherd’s pie could be facing extinction from early as 2027, with several other favourites dying out within a decade.
Shepherd’s pie takes the fifth spot on the top 10 list, as according to the study, the dish is experiencing a 0.76% weekly decline, and due to the fact only 5% of Brits would name it a ‘favourite’, this classic risks extinction by 2027.
Shepherd’s pie has been named among the classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next decade / Credit: Dennis J Wilkinson | Steven Depolo
Another shocker on the list has to been the beloved veggie dish cheese and onion pie, which takes the ninth spot thanks to its 0.41% weekly decline in searches.
However, the majority of the other dishes making up the top 10 list tend to be regional delicacies or dishes that are popular within certain dietary preferences, such as Glamorgan sausage – which takes the number one spot, with a 2% weekly search decline – Tatws Pum Munud, a nut roast, and a vegan roast dinner.
57% of the nation would be sad to see British staples fade away, according to the study, but 31% do appreciate the evolution of food trends.
The study also revealed that the growing popularity of takeaway and convenience food is the leading reason why people are moving away from traditional classics such as shepherd’s pie, with nearly half (46%) of respondents citing it as their main reason.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd October 2020 
