The John Lewis Christmas advert is has become an integral part in the lead-up to the festive season, and the retailer has promised this year’s campaign will be “like no other”.
While plans for the festive period remain uncertain at this stage due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, the release of the John Lewis Christmas advert is sure to bring a smile to people’s facing and have us shedding a tea or two of joy.
And ahead of this year’s launch – the date of which is as yet unconfirmed – the department store chain has shared some details of the advert, which is set to be “like no other” and will coincide with a festive campaign aimed at raising £5 million for struggling families.
John Lewis will kick-start an appeal in November to raise the funds for two worthy charities.
The money raised from the campaign will go toward FareShare – a charity which aims to help solve food poverty, and Home-Start – which works with parents who need support.
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Speaking on the 2020 Christmas campaign, Pippa Wicks – Executive Director of John Lewis & Partners – said: “In a year like no other, the world has changed – so we will be delivering a Christmas campaign like no other,”
“During 2020, we’ve seen some inspiring and heartwarming acts of kindness throughout our country and our communities [and] now we want to build on this spirit to create a legacy that extends well beyond Christmas,
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“Together we can all make a big difference to the families who need our help most.”
We are delighted to announce that @jlandpartners and @waitrose have partnered with FareShare and @homestartuk aiming to raise £5m and matching donations up to the value of £2m, to help us support 100,000 vulnerable families across the UK. pic.twitter.com/ZeoVAnuqjr
John Lewis said the £5 million total will help to support an estimated 100,000 families in need, and customers will be encouraged to donate to the campaign, with the retailer promising to match all donations up to a maximum of £2 million.
Not only that, but purchases using the My JL and My Waitrose loyalty cards will also generate donations for the two charities over the festive period.
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Lindsay Boswell – Chief Executive at FareShare UK – said: “In what has been an incredibly tough year for so many, more people than ever are turning to local charities and community groups for support because they simply can’t afford the food they need to feed their families and themselves.”
“We are so delighted to partner with Waitrose and John Lewis to provide support for the thousands of people in need across the UK in the run-up to Christmas and over the winter months,”
The advert and campaign comes in the midst of the ongoing #endchildfoodpoverty campaign fronted by Wythenshawe-born Manchester United star Marcus Rashford – who works in partnership with FareShare UK – which has already enabled thousands of children to claim free school meal vouchers throughout school holidays in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Waitrose – part of John Lewis & Partners – is a member of Rashford’s ‘Food Poverty Taskforce’.
Taking to Twitter this morning to acknowledge the campaign this morning, Rashford said that the advert concept was “brilliant”.
The John Lewis 2020 Christmas advert is expected to air this month.
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Nathan Aspinall urges PDPA to improve mental health support within the sport
Danny Jones
Local sports personality Nathan Aspinall has urged the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) to provide better mental health support moving forward.
It’s not the first time ‘The Asp’ has called for more awareness and provision when it comes to player welfare and mental wellbeing, specifically, which remains a prevailing societal problem in general.
The Greater Manchester native has opened up about his own struggles many times in the past and has made a public plea for the PDPA to intervene and offer more help.
Speaking at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championships after his opening round victory, the 34-year-old instead chose to focus on more important issues than his strong start.
As you can see, Aspinall began by stating that “the PDPA now need to step in and help these guys because there’s a lot of guys suffering.”
Having long been an champion for male mental health, in particular – supporting the local Healthy Minds practices in his hometown of Stockport, for instance – he’s been one of the outspoken player on the subject for some time.
Noting that there are at least “two or three people” he refused to name, his message was simple: “There’s a lot of fantastic dart players in our sport, but it’ll be a shame to see so many of them go because of mental health”
The 2019 UK Open and 2023 World Matchplay winner has battled with multiple obstacles, including an ocular condition known as bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, as well bursitis, which causes inflammation around key joints.
But it’s not necessarly injuries and the physical side of things that have been his biggest concern.
𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗨𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁
"I really do not care anymore.
"I do everything I can to be a good sportsman and you still get s**t. So you know what? I don't care. Say what you want." pic.twitter.com/mCBjQ6kvyj
One of the biggest and most recurring challenges for him has been ‘dartitis’, which many players within the discipline wrestle with the more their careers progress.
Aspinall has confessed to suffering almost chronic panic attacks due to the mental blocks (also commonly known as ‘the yips’) brought about by the intense pressure of playing on stage/live on TV.
With that in mind, it’s great to see him not only back on form and pulling impressive performance such as his ‘big fish’ finish on Friday night, but continuing to draw more attention to the underlying mental health crisis, especially among men. Well played, Nath.
You can watch his post-match interview in full down below.
Featured Images — Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)/Live Darts (screenshot via YouTube)
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Fans are preparing to pay tribute to Mani from The Stone Roses ahead of his funeral service
Danny Jones
Stone Roses fans and Greater Manchester locals alike are getting ready to pay their respects to the late, great, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, following his tragic passing last month.
As well as details surrounding his funeral being announced earlier this week, the iconic Manc musician’s cause of death has also finally been revealed.
While Hatton’s service featured a high-profile cortège which started all the way from his hometown of Hyde, past multiple landmarks and ending at the Etihad Stadium, those local to Mani’s family home on the edge of Stockport are also being welcomed to help send him off.
It's the funeral of Mani of the Stone Roses on the 22nd. He lived locally. This poster is asking people to line the route of his funeral cortege to "show that he truly was adored". pic.twitter.com/X0DYHl10Hp
He had been struggling with emphysema for some time; he was declared dead at his home in the suburb of Heaton Moor, and is said to have died peacefully in his sleep.
As you can see from the posters put in various places around the area, residents wishing to pay their own tributes to Mani before his private funeral service at Manchester Cathedral are encouraged to line the long street leading down from St Paul’s and Heaton Moor United Church as he heads towards the city.
Departing Parsonage Road from 10am on Monday, 22 December, before turning right onto Heaton Moor Rd, then Wellington and eventually on to the Cathedral, you can expect plenty of people to show up.
One of those people will be his former bandmate and another influential guitarist, John Squire, who is one of many famous musical names to have honoured him in their own way over the last few weeks.
Other members of The Stone Roses, as well as Primal Scream (who he joined in 1996), are expected to join the close family and friends at the service itself.
Nevertheless, we have no doubt that plenty will be observing the funeral in their own way.
So, for those of you also looking to honour him, you know what to do; and to quote the poster itself, “together we can show this local legend and his family that he was truly adored.”
Emily Sergeant -
3rd November 2020 
