An “inspirational” schoolboy is currently walking 50-miles to Manchester United’s home ground Old Trafford.
And it’s all to raise worthy funds for foodbanks across the UK.
Within just days of embarking on his charity challenge by setting off from his hometown of Larne in Northern Ireland to Old Trafford, Ben Dickinson has already smashed his 50,000-meal fundraising target in aid of food poverty charity FareShare.
The monumental milestone – which equates to £12,500 in donations – comes just six days into his ten-day ‘Ben’s Miles for Meals’ trek, and already goes a long way to helping FareShare to tackle hunger in the most vulnerable communities by distributing food packages to charities and foodbanks up and down the country.
Ben was inspired to take on the challenge by Manchester United and England star, and food poverty relief campaigner Marcus Rashford MBE – who he calls his “hero”.
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“I set myself a target of 50,000 meals for FareShare, and I can’t believe I have reached that milestone this early in my campaign,” Ben said.
“Everyone has been so generous in supporting me so far, and with four more days left until I reach my final destination of Old Trafford, I’m excited to push on and raise even more money for Marcus’ charity, FareShare.”
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Target reached! Thank you! Now let’s keep going and see just how many meals we can provide. Could we reach 75,000 and feed the same as a full house at Old Trafford??? Read more about the target & 2 charity auctions here > https://t.co/UtumMtUIGrpic.twitter.com/CNdISxkfkc
Proud dad Andrew Dickinson, who has been accompanying Ben every step of the way, added: “I am immensely proud of Ben for taking on this tough challenge and setting himself such a huge target as well [and] as a family, we are so grateful for everyone who has supported him to date and helped him reach the 50,000-meal mark so quickly.
“We can’t wait to see what his final fundraising total will be.”
Although Ben’s charity trek is impressive enough as it is, that’s not all he’s doing, as after already exceeding the original target, his fundraising tally is set to increase even further with an online auction that’s offering football fans the chance to get their hands on signed memorabilia from some of the world’s best players, including George Best, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ben’s charity walk will culminate with a hero’s welcome at Old Trafford on Saturday 12 March as Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League clash.
The auction will then be hosted after the match by Hotel Football.
Ben Dickinson is currently walking 50-miles to Old Trafford / Credit: Twitter (@benjiballer5)
“We simply couldn’t do what we do without kind community fundraisers like Ben supporting us and helping raise the vital funds we need year after year,” said James Persad from FareShare UK, congratulating Ben on his achievements so far.
“50,000 meals is an incredible figure and Ben’s selfless efforts will undoubtedly change the lives of thousands of people across the UK for the better.
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“We look forward to cheering him over the finishing line at Old Trafford.”
You can donate to Ben fundraiser for FareShare on his website here, and follow along on his journey via social media.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Castlefield is being transformed into Gotham amidst more Hollywood filming in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Castlefield, with its iconic viaduct and cobbled streets, is once again being used for big-budget filming as the latest Batman/DC Universe title, Clayface, looks to be setting up in the eye-catching Manc corner.
Whether it’s football kit reveals and brand shoots, BBC dramas or the next upcoming Netflix series, production crews can’t get enough of Castlefield, it would seem.
For those who hadn’t heard, work on the new Clayface movie revolving around the cult favourite Batman villain is well underway, and the North West has been used as the backdrop on multiple ocassions this month already.
You can see early glimpses of the set being put together down below.
Come on, how cool is it that we get to stumble on stuff like this right on our doorstep so often?
Speaking to The Manc, a source detailed that the set is being assembled today (Tuesday, 16 September) ahead of a single day of principal photography on what we can only assume is more Clayface filming sometime tomorrow.
While she could not confirm with us directly, she said, “If you’re a comic book nerd and look at the posters, you’ll be able to figure it out.” We’ve certainly been studying all the easter eggs already.
It might not quite be as dark and gritty as Gotham City, but this particular part of Manchester has been used in TV and film – especially period dramas – many times for good reason.
The Victorian-era steel structure, dark red brick and overall industrial aesthetic work so well when it comes to creating a believable and cinematic world.
Besides perhaps the most famous instance of Peaky Blinders shooting in these parts, you can add multiple music videos, several Manchester United and Man City shirt launches, and so many more that we’re starting to lose track.
As for Clayface, this isn’t even the first time the upcoming DC ‘body-horror’ flick has popped up in Greater Manchester.
Last week saw the equally striking Art Deco facade of the old The Plaza Super Cinema in Stockport turned into a fictional movie premiere to stunning effect:
Speaking of, another childhood favourite is filming here in Manchester right now, too.
Besides perhaps the most famous instance of Peaky Blinders shooting in these parts, the new Narnia adaptation by Greta Gerwig may just be one of the biggest projects that has ever landed underneath the familiar ‘birdcage’.
ln fact, it just so happens that there are actually multiple noteworthy small and silver screen works fighting over the Castlefield shooting schedule at the moment…
Manchester City staff member sacked after wearing Man United shirt to shift
Danny Jones
Man City have divided a fair few supporters after they sacked a barman for wearing a United shirt to their shift during the Manchester derby.
Although it’s not exactly surprising, the decision has ruffled plenty of feathers on both sides, as well as among neutral fans.
The Blues emerged victorious in the 197th clash between the two local rivals, winning 3-0 on an evening that paid tribute to the late, great Ricky Hatton, but another backstory looming over the fixture that caught the attention of football fans online was the City staff member who lost his job.
Working on concessions inside the Etihad Stadium before the game, the barman was made known to the official MCFC Matchday Support channel on X, who quickly confirmed he had been let go before the game even began.
In the since-deleted post, the home fan who reported the worker wrote: “Absolute joke – letting one of the bar staff in block 315 wear a United shirt on Derby Day.”
Although many City fans applauded the fast action by the club on the day, it’s fair to say that sacking him so soon that he didn’t even last until kick-off has rubbed many others the wrong way.
One Liverpool fan commented: “I hate United way more than City, but to sack him from a job because of an item of clothing is crazy. So, so poor from Manchester City, this. It’s just football lads, he’s not wearing a political or derogatory symbol. It’s literally a football team…”
Another neutral added: “Getting a minimum wage worker sacked for having a bit of fun instead of just winding him up is the absolute sad state this country is in.”
Even the ‘Out Of Context Football Manager‘ parody account chipped in, writing: “The guy’s been sacked for this. All he needed was a formal warning. I get he’s taking the p*ss – but losing a salary he might really need over this?!
While many have been even more outspoken in their response, as you can see, many supporters – be they Red or otherwise – have come up with arguably the perfect solution:
Manchester City are yet to comment on the backlash, apart from the initial confirmation that the still-anonymous staff member has been released from his position, but as for Man United, simply sticking him on the kiosks in the Stretford End could prove to be a very easy bit of positive PR.
Besides the growing frustration around the fanbase, as Ruben Amorim has yet to turn things around at Old Trafford (pressure was growing even before the derby day defeat), the Red Devils could no doubt do with some positive press for a change.
In fact, it was only earlier this year that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada and the wider INEOS Sports administration sanctioned a second round of redundancies at United, with approximately 450 individuals losing their jobs.
That being said, although some have labelled the sacking of the now ex-City barman as “absolutely horrendous behaviour” for Man City, many jumped to quip back that “[United are] more likely to sack more bar staff, not hire them”, as well as simultaneously taking aim at their significant transfer spending.
Emily Sergeant -
8th March 2022 
