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.”
Manchester’s popular board game festival returns this month with hundreds of games to play
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s popular board came festival is set to return later this month, with hundreds of games free to play.
Manchester Board Game Festival is set to kick off 2026 in style, returning for the first festival of the year with a full weekend of board games, role-playing games, indie traders, and community-led fun in the heart of the city.
The festival features a huge board game library, giving fans access to hundreds of games to try out across the weekend – with ‘Library Bees’ on-hand to help people find games, learn the rules, or jump into sessions with other players.
There’ll also be bookable sessions, like RPGs and Blood on The Clocktower, and seminars to take part in over the three-day event.
Manchester’s popular board game festival returns this month with hundreds of games to play / Credit: MBGF (via Facebook)
As well as gaming, visitors can browse the festival’s popular Geek Fayre too, open on the Saturday and Sunday of the event, which showcases indie traders, artists, and tabletop creators from across the UK. From games and accessories, to artwork and geeky gifts, it’s a chance to support small businesses all while discovering something new.
Running from Friday 27 February through to Sunday 1 March, this opening weekend festival marks the start of five events planned throughout 2026.
Events are designed to bring together players of all experience levels for three days of tabletop gaming and social play.
“There’s something really special about the first festival of the year,” commented festival organiser, James Oxley.
“People are excited, they’re ready to play, and there’s a real buzz in the room. Manchester Board Game Festival has always been about bringing people together through games, and we can’t wait to see everyone back in the halls enjoying themselves.
“Whether attendees come for a single afternoon or the full weekend, the focus is on playing at your own pace, meeting new people, and enjoying games in a relaxed and friendly setting.”
Further festivals will follow throughout 2026, including themed Halloween and Christmas editions later in the year, so keep your eyes peeled, but until then, February’s event marks the first chance for players to roll some dice, discover new favourites, and start the year with a table full of games.
Manchester Board Game Festival takes place from Friday 27 February through to Sunday 1 March at Sachas Hotel in the Northern Quarter, with tickets starting from just £13.
Trailer released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed all across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new romcom that’s set and filmed all across Manchester has been released.
The film, titled Finding Emily, tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl on a night out, but ends up with the wrong phone number, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, and based on a screenplay written by Rachel Hirons – is produced by Working Title Films, is set in the fictional Manchester City University, and is due to be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures across the UK and internationally this spring.
The talented ensemble cast groups together big names like Minnie Driver with rising stars like Ella Maisy Purvis, Yali Topal Margalith, and Kat Ronney, as well as other established actors including Timothy Innes and Nadia Parkes.
Filming took place in Manchester between August and September 2024.
The two and a half-minute trailer has been shared with the world today, and when we say it’s a Manc film, we mean it… we quite literally lost count of how many of our city’s famous locations can be spotted in just the trailer alone.
The trailer has been released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed in Manchester / Credit: Universal Pictures & Focus Features (via YouTube)
There’s everything from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street and the Gay Village, the Northern Quarter, the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see, alongside what’ll, presumably, be dozens of other famous locations.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd December 2020 
