Tom Parker and Max George from The Wanted. Credit: Instagram, @MaxGeorge
Tom was able to join bandmates Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, and Nathan Sykes, as well as Max, where he sat on a throne wearing dark sunglasses in front of huge audiences.
Behind-the-scenes snippets from the tour showed Max and Tom were rarely apart in his final weeks, from sharing hotel rooms to embracing on stage.
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The news of Tom’s death was confirmed by his wife Kelsey on Wednesday, who said: “Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.”
The Wanted on stage together – including Max George right by Tom Parker’s side. Credit: Instagram, @tomparkerofficial
Max has now broken his silence to describe the ‘special chapter’ that was his friendship with Tom.
His full tribute reads: “Tom, my brother, my boy, my band mate, my best bud.. You lit up so many lives all over the world but I can only speak on behalf of mine.
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“From the minute I met you, I knew this was gonna be a special chapter in my life. I was right. We did everything together, some amazing things, some outrageous things. Im so proud of what we achieved as band mates and as brothers. I’m also proud that I was there the night you met Kels. I remember saying to you, ‘you like her don’t you?’.. to which you replied, ‘bro, like you wouldn’t believe’. You two really are like peas and carrots.
“Thank you for choosing me as your friend. It was an honour from day one. I’m so grateful I was with you until the very end. The courage and dignity I have witnessed over the last few months surpassed the lion I already knew you were.
“The huge hole now left in my life will forever be there, but I know your spirit will live on through your two beautiful babies, your wonderful wife, our music, your fans and in my heart.
“I’m heartbroken beyond words right now and I cannot even begin to imagine what the future holds without you, but whatever I do going forward, even on my darkest days, I can always smile and say, ‘I shared the stage with Tom Parker’.
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“I am going to miss you so much. I love you mate. Always. George.”
Featured image: Instagram, @maxgeorge
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Aldi launches ‘adult’s breakfast club’ for families skipping meals so their kids can eat
Emily Sergeant
Aldi has launched an adult’s breakfast club for lower income families who are having to skip meals to ensure their children can eat.
After the budget supermarket retailer’s new research has sadly revealed that almost half (44%) of parents from lower income families being forced to skip meals to make sure their children have enough food to eat as the rising cost of living crisis continues, Aldi has launched a new breakfast club especially for adults.
Breakfast is widely known to be one of the most of important meals of the day, but it’s also the most common one to miss, according to Aldi’s research.
The research revealed that 47% of parents are now said to be experiencing more financial pressure to feed the family compared to six months ago – with almost two in three admitting they are likely to go hungry so their little ones don’t have to.
This has also led to a third of parents buying less food, with some of the biggest cutbacks including key breakfast items like butter, milk, and cereal.
Aldi launches ‘adult’s breakfast club’ for families skipping meals so their kids can eat / Credit: Aldi UK
Aldi’s new ‘Adult’s Breakfast Club’ has been set up with the help of its charity partner, Neighbourly, ahead of the Easter school holidays, as this is often when “parents are under increased pressure to feed the entire family”.
The supermarket chain will donate 10 tonnes of healthy cereal and 5,000 gallons of milk and milk alternatives to foodbanks and schools across the country.
With an estimated 2.1 million adults in the UK now using foodbanks, Aldi’s Adult’s Breakfast Club is aiming to help the 37% of parents who simply can’t afford a full shop to feed themselves and their family, and therefore choosing to either skip meals entirely, give children half of their meal, or make larger portions for their children than themselves.
“We believe that having access to healthy food should be a right, not a privilege,” Aldi UK’s Corporate Responsibility Director said of the scheme launching.
“The thought that parents are having to skip meals to ensure their children can eat is terrible.
“Our partnership with Neighbourly to donate surplus food from our stores helps to support the communities where we operate, but we want to be able to help parents too, and we hope the Adult Breakfast Club will help provide everyday breakfast essentials to parents who otherwise would be going without.”
The supermarket chain will donate 10 tonnes of healthy cereal / Credit: Aldi UK
Steve Butterworth – CEO of Neighbourly – said parents skipping meals to ensure their children can eat shows the “real-world effects of the cost of living-crisis”.
“Creating a dedicated Breakfast Club to ensure these parents are getting the nutrients they need and deserve is a brilliant initiative, and one we hope will make a tangible difference in our community,” he added.
Wrexham AFC announce Manchester United friendly with hilarious Sir Alex Ferguson video
Danny Jones
Manchester United confirmed that they would be playing Wrexham AFC as part of their US tour on Tuesday, but the Welsh club’s Hollywood owners had a much better way of announcing the pre-season friendly.
While the Red Devils put out a simple statement revealing that one of their games would come against the resurgent Red Dragons, Wrexham‘s celebrity owners in Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney once again decided to put their acting to good use and inform their own fans of the upcoming match.
So, what’s the best way for a National League club to announce a massive fixture with one of the biggest sporting franchises in the world? Well, ideal scenario: getting a United legend and perhaps the greatest football manager of all time to help you do it would have quite the impact. Surely not?…
Yes, somehow, Rob and Ryan managed to convince Sir Alex Ferguson to be in the video and while they’re the ones known for their funny bones, it’s the gaffer who shines as the star of the show.
50% Dragon. 50% Devil. 100% Red. Wrexham play @ManUtd in San Diego, July 25th!
Manchester United vs Wrexham AFC, announced by the Sir Alex Ferguson. What a time to be alive.
So good. We almost thought we were staring at a still image at one point and the gag was going to be along the lines of him not even being there while they wonder, ‘is he frozen’?, but the punchline was the perfect level of dry for Scotsman who is literally known for his infamous ‘hairdryer’.
Now, we’ve seen plenty of parodies and funny videos since the acting, writing and comedy-producing duo first bought the club back in November 2020, but I think it’s fair to say we never expected to see Sir Alex in a sketch.
Obviously, we’ve seen countless commercial ads involving United down the year working — including that time the players met Deadpool himself (remember that?) — but we can’t remember the legendary coach ever getting involved with these kinds of shenanigans before.
Suppose retirement has given him the free time to focus on the things he enjoys: i.e. more United.
As detailed in the video and United’s tour teaser at the start of the week, the two teams will be playing in a pre-season friendly at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on July 25 later this year.
Not only will there be plenty of American Reds piling through the doors this summer, but there’s also sure to be a fair few transatlantic Wrexham supporters too, as the story of the club’s takeover has captured the attention of millions, especially after their hugely popular documentary series.
To make things even cooler, it isn’t the only connection between the Devils and the Dragons we’ve seen of late either, as former United keeper and Premier League veteran Ben Foster came out of retirement to sign for Wrexham 18 years on from his previous loan spell. What a coup
Reynolds even popped up in his latest matchday vlog. Wrexham really is one of the strangest sporting stories we’ve witnessed in quite some time.
The former United man decided to come out of retirement after Ryan Reynolds ‘slid into his DMs’. 😅🧤https://t.co/YoW3J4kocI