A scaffolder who was inspired by Marcus Rashford’s campaign for free school meal vouchers during holidays has achieved his own amazing feat.
Jordan Mattinson – 27, from Whitehaven in Cumbria – has managed to secure a whopping £11,000 worth of food to feed children over the Christmas holidays, and has even taken in a delivery of 20 tons, which will feed around 2,000 families in his community.
The amazing haul of 4,000 carrier bags full of food was so big it needed its own articulated lorry to be delivered to a social club, where it was stored ahead of being distributed.
Jordan and a group of pals launched the Copeland Christmas Food Project after the government rejected pleas to extend free meals for kids over the festive break, and even though the government eventually made a U-turn on the decision, the group decided to continue with the project.
They’ll now be able to help feed thousands of children from more than 50 different schools in the region.
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Speaking on the incredible achievement, Jordan said: “When Marcus Rashford asked the government to extend free school meals into the Christmas holidays and they said no, I set up the fundraising campaign. We were just going to donate food to a couple of schools whose children needed it, but it grew arms and legs.
“I put a crowdfunder online and set a target of £500, but we’ve had more than £11,000.
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“It’s absolutely amazing,
“I was blown away by the support and generosity of people [and] we’ll be able to feed 2,000 families. We got in touch with so many schools who were so grateful for it and said they had children who needed the help.
“We don’t get involved with the families directly as it’s a very sensitive thing for them and some of them find it embarrassing, but we ask the schools how many children they have on free school meals and donate it to the schools who distribute it to the families who need it.”
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Jordan Mattinson / SWNS
Jordan and his fellow organisers of the Copeland Christmas Food Project – Danny Dougherty, Josh and Rikki Tweedie and Beth McGregor – bought 26,000 individual items from Aldi’s Whitehaven store, which made up 4,000 carrier bags.
This means that each family is set to receive two bags of food.
On advice from the local food bank, the group prioritised long-lasting foods such as pasta, rice and soup, which would last for the entire two-week holiday period.
Jordan added: “It came on 32 pallets, it took a lot of effort to pack, there was around 50 volunteers. It’s been really nice to see people coming together and helping each other out.
“I have never been more proud or happy with anything I’ve ever been involved in.”
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He continued: “The response was overwhelming. It was just an unbelievable response from the community, all the volunteers and businesses who have helped us.
“It’s been eye-opening, the more we did this, the more we saw how many people actually need help [and] you don’t realise it’s so rife, people are really struggling and it is hard for them. People are finding this year harder than other years with the pandemic and people losing their jobs, so even more children are on free school meals than ever before.
Jordan Mattinson / SWNS
“The response from people in need has been overwhelming [too],
“[And] schools were so grateful for the help, and we’ve had messages from people who have needed help.
“As our food will be none perishable items, they will keep and hopefully help families at a later date if needed and make for a more comfortable Christmas.”
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A spokesman for The Whitehaven Academy – one of the local secondary schools set to receive donations of the food – said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the Copeland Christmas Food Project who have provided us with food parcels for our families.
“[It’s a] fantastic effort by the team and wider community, [and] together, no child will go hungry in Copeland this Christmas.”
Salford City FC reveal new club crest ahead of return to orange kit
Danny Jones
Salford City FC have finally revealed their new club crest, paying homage to both their historic and present badge, as they prepare to wear predominantly orange kits once again.
The Greater Manchester club are enjoying a healthy injection not only of investment but ideas and, indeed, a decent bit of form in turn.
Currently sitting sixth in the League Two standings and looking more than capable of scrapping with other third division hopefuls around them in the table, the end of this season could be the start of a fresh chapter for the Salford sporting institution.
Regardless of whether they go up following the conclusion of this campaign or not, the newly restructured ownership group is certainly looking to make this the start of a new era.
Officially debuting the new Salford City badge in the teaser video shared above on Tuesday, 23 December, you could call it an early Christmas gift for Ammies supporters.
Writing on social media, the club said: “Our heritage. Our culture. Inspiring our future. From next season, Salford City FC will adopt a bold new identity, playing in orange with a new Club crest.
“Following recent consultations, 72% of fans voted to adopt this new Club crest from the start of the 2026-27 season.”
A lengthier statement continues: “The new Crest comes after extensive consultation with fans over the past several months.
“It was designed in conjunction with renowned NYC-based agency MILK, and in recent weeks, fans have heard from co-owners Gary Neville and Sir David Beckham about the potential opportunities the new crest can offer the Club – from building our fan base globally to exciting new merchandise products.
This latest unveiling comes after confirmation of the club reverting to an orange-led colour scheme and home shirt.
In addition to hinting at plans to once again upgrade the Peninsula Stadium, the official club statement also digs into the inspiration behind the various features included in the latest redesign.
They are as follows:
A rampant Lion that has featured on crests of the past, breaking out of the badge, refusing to be contained. It captures the fierce, on-field attitude expected from a Salford team. Relentless in the pursuit of success, never held back.
A new Salford rose, inspired by the iconic Salford Lads Club, symbolises enthusiasm, desire, passion and admiration.
Concentric circles represent a bird’s eye view of the Salford Gasworks.
A typeface crafted from the custom lettering found in Salford’s streets.
You see a more detailed breakdown of the thought process behind the various features down below; it does make for an interesting little read.
Credit: Salford City (via club website)
Salford famously switched to red when Manchester United’s ‘Class of 92’ legends bought the club in partnership with businessman Peter Lim well over a decade ago.
Despite the initial takeover seeing the struggling side find their way back into the EFL following multiple promotions, The Ammies have lost momentum in recent years, and many die-hard matchgoers still take issue with the colour change (the notion being that they were reborn in the shadow of Man United).
Fast forward to now, and they reiterated that the plans – which follow the aforementioned official consultation held earlier this year – will see new insignia installed in time for next season, not only on the latest batch of kits but around their soon-to-be further renovated home ground.
With Salford‘s rugby league community also set for its next iteration as of the 2026 season, it’s all change in Greater Manchester’s second city.
Top 10 most disliked Christmas foods revealed – and sprouts aren’t number one
Emily Sergeant
If there’s one thing for certain, a lot of food gets consumed at Christmas.
Foodies look forward to the festive season all year long, and it’s not hard to see why, as for many people, Christmas is just as much about the food as it is anything else, especially as shops and supermarkets tend to go all out with the festive feasting specials – with treats stacked top to bottom on the shelves.
Think turkey, roast potatoes, chocolate, mince pies, and so much more everywhere you look.
But surprisingly, a few of those foods are actually among the most disliked by the younger generations once the festive season rolls around.
A new poll by of 2,000 adults who celebrate Christmas, carried out by Aldi, has found that those born in 1996 or later are apparently “turning their back on” traditional favourites in favour of festive dishes with some sort of “modern twist”.
The top 10 most disliked Christmas foods have been revealed / Credit: Mika Hermans (via Pexels) | GoodFon
Of the traditional favourites, Christmas pudding is one of the least-loved festive foods, along with Christmas cake and trifle – with more than half (56%) of respondents describing them as “dated”.
Despite what many would expect though, number one on the list is not the usual scapegoat of sprouts, as instead it’s mince pies that take the top spot, with the little green vegetables coming in fifth place just behind cranberry sauce at four, Christmas cake in third, and Christmas pudding at two.
Top 10 most disliked Christmas foods
Mince pies – 31%
Christmas pudding – 29%
Christmas cake – 25%
Cranberry sauce – 25%
Brussels sprouts – 24%
Bread sauce – 22%
Chestnuts – 21%
Brandy butter – 20%
Turkey – 20%
Trifle – 19%
So, what else would the youngsters like to see on the festive menu instead then?
According to the poll, he likes of loaded fries, crispy fried chicken, and even pizza are just a few of the things that Gen-Z would most like to be at the table for Christmas dinner this year, whilst cheesecake (33%), chocolate gateau (29%), and ice cream (25%) are among the preferred festive desserts in place of Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.
Additional research from the supermarket found that the main reasons Brits would like to change up Christmas dinner is to fit personal taste preferences better (34%), or to be more inclusive for dietary restrictions (27%).
26% said they want to switch things up just to be more exciting or adventurous in general.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd December 2020 
