A Christmas campaign launched by Marcus Rashford and Tom Kerridge to tackle child food poverty has raised almost £200,000.
After the Manchester United and England star – who has first collaborated with the acclaimed TV foodie and two-Michelin Star chef on the ‘National Food Strategy’ earlier last year, the pair teamed up once again to launch the Full Time Meals campaign in aid of the food redistribution charity, FareShare, all the way back in April 2021.
The main aim of the campaign was to get children interested in cooking, and to help families prepare healthy meals on a budget.
As part of the project, Kerridge designed 52 recipes in 2021.
All recipes were available for free via a new video on Instagram every Sunday morning, as well as on recipe cards in supermarkets, schools, and food banks – with a QR code linking to the Full Time Meals social media page.
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Each recipe on the platform was easy to create, with limited equipment needed.
Tortilla pizzas, chicken satay stir fry, fish pie jackets, Mexican style chicken, broccoli & cauliflower cheese, creamy chicken pie, and fish finger butties were just some of the meals featuring on the Full Time Meals channel throughout the year.
This past Christmas, Rashford notably challenged Kerridge to create a Christmas dinner menu that only cost £10, as he said that his family “relied on the local food bank for our Christmas dinner” and he wanted to make it his mission to ensure even those using food vouchers would be able to enjoy something special.
Kerridge devised two healthy festive recipes that could feed six people across two days, on a sum that is relatively affordable for those on a budget.
It was revealed that FairShare distributed the equivalent of 122 million meals in the last financial year, but after having seen its demand double since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Rashford and Kerridge decided to make a special Christmas appeal for public contributions.
It saw people donate nearly £200,000 between 13-31 December.
The #FullTimeMeals Christmas appeal will help us provide 750,000 meals to vulnerable people.
The money raised by public donations will enable FairShare to provide an extra 750,000 meals to people in food poverty across the UK.
Kerridge said that the pair were “super chuffed” at reaching the milestone.
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“You lot really rallied to help families this winter. Absolute legends,” Kerridge added on Twitter.
Featured Image – Full Time Meals
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Oldham Athletic have founded a brand-new deaf football club
Danny Jones
Oldham Athletic FC have just started a brand-new team for deaf players ahead of the upcoming 2026/27 season.
A dedicated side built around footballers with hearing impairments, it’s an uplifting show of accessibility by the Greater Manchester side.
While this is by no means a first, and we’re proud to say that there are multiple deaf football teams across the region and North West at large, having an EFL club of this stature and history get behind the initiative is a deeply moving development and statement of intent when it comes to helping key causes.
Officially confirmed this past weekend, OAFC are set to join the North League of the deaf football pyramid imminently.
Writing alongside the social media post, the Latics said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club.
“Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club is a brand-new team that will provide deaf and hard of hearing players with the opportunity to represent the club and compete under the Oldham Athletic badge, competing in the North League of the Deaf football pyramid.”
Once again, they are not the first local outfit to develop a deaf football programme, with the likes of Radcliffe FC, Manchester Futsal, the Deaf Rhinos in Rochdale, and Greater Manchester Deaf FC all having helped pave the way for this particular sector of the beautiful game.
In yet another recent display of their grassroots work in action, Frank Rothwell’s community-driven club have also reaffirmed their commitment to developing more pathways for young talent:
🗓️ There are extra opportunities for Year 11 school leavers to join our Football Centre of Excellence this week.
⚽ Register now for our men's programme pre-season training on Tuesday 28 and Thursday 30 July with Chris Taylor. #oafc
Circling back to the new deaf football team, the statement goes on to read, “The new team marks another important step in OACT’s commitment to ensuring that football is accessible and inclusive for everyone across the borough.
“Through the creation of Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club, the Trust aims to provide a welcoming environment where players can develop their skills, enjoy the game, and experience the pride of representing Oldham Athletic.”
If you or someone you know might be interested in getting involved with Oldham’s new deaf football team, you can find out more about the wider project in their full announcement HERE.
As for the mainline men’s team, you can see the highlights from their most recent pre-season game against nearby opponents and old Lancashire rivals, Bolton Wanderers, down below.
Featured Images — Oldham Athletic Football Club (publicity picture)
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Blossoms to play special ‘intimate’ 10th anniversary gig at The Deaf Institute, Manchester
Danny Jones
Local indie and alternative lads Blossoms have announced a special one-off anniversary show at none other than The Deaf Institute right here in Manchester.
Coming to the iconic small-cap venue this summer, the Stockport band will be marking the 10th birthday of their self-titled debut album by playing one of the smallest gig spaces in the centre, but one that was a massive milestone for them back in the day.
Now a full decade on from the breakout LP, released on 5 August 2026, Blossoms will be rolling back the years by playing the biggest hits from the record, along with a selection from the many other bangers that they’ve gone on to release since.
This is going to be one very special night for the SK natives.
We’re playing an intimate gig at The Deaf Institute on Weds 5th August to celebrate 10 years of our debut album! We’re going to record the show & release it as a special edition double CD of our new album. Pre-order it now for exclusive pre-sale access. https://t.co/ztAkh95RWspic.twitter.com/kuZNnJJBok
Blossoms have never shied away from championing their Stopfordian roots, but neither have they forgotten the city that helped establish them as one of the biggest bands in Britain.
For instance, this upcoming Deaf Institute show – which promises to be a much more intimate show than they’re used to doing these days – comes not even two years on from the mini Manc residency, when they played five nights here in Manchester over the course of a single week.
As we come up to the sixth studio project, Songs From The Wedding Cake, and already have two singles from the next release, we have no shame in admitting we still listen to those first tracks as much as ever.
With that in mind, it’ll be a surreal full circle for everyone, we’re sure, when Tom, Chaz, Myles, Josh and Joe take the stage in that hallowed hometown room with a capacity of just 250 next month; they’re even playing it EXACTLY 10 years on the precise date that maiden outing dropped: 5 August 2026.
Combine this with them pulling stunts like playing people’s weddings and popping up with a surprise set from inside a van outside 42s nightclub on Deansgate, and it’s hard to think of an artist nailing it as well as Blossoms are right now.
Fans can enjoy exclusive early access by pre-ordering the new Blossoms album on their website, and those who have already done so qualify for presale automatically – just keep an eye out for the code in your email inbox.
This limited window will open from 9:30am this Thursday, 30 July, with general admission tickets for their return to Deaf Institute going live at the same time the following Friday (31 July).
Oh, and in case you somehow missed it, they’re also set to play their biggest ever arena shows across the UK later this year, including a huge gig at Co-op Live. Find out all the info down below.
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2022 
