News
Marcus Rashford slams free school meal food parcels as ‘not good enough’
‘Just not good enough’
A mum has shared the contents of the Free School Meal bag she was provided on Twitter, leaving many people shocked, including Labour MPs and Marcus Rashford.
The unnamed mum who uses the Twitter account ‘RoadsideMum’ shared a photo of the food parcel she received, estimating the total cost to be just £5.22 instead of the £30 voucher she is entitled to.
The furious mum added a picture of the food, that is meant to feed her children for 10 days. It included a loaf of bread, pack of pre-sliced cheese, two bananas, three apples, two carrots, one tomato, two small portions of Soreen, a pack of pasta, two potatoes, three Frubes and one tin of Heinz No Added Sugar Beans.
The food parcel was issued instead of a £30 voucher. The mum wrote: “I could do more with £30 to be honest.”
One mum, Jack Monroe, who is also an author, TV presenter and activist, has taken to Twitter to share varying food shops of a £20 value at different supermarkets.
She added a picture of a massive food shop for £20 without using bulk discount and the differences are astonishing.
Chartwells UK responded to RoadsideMum on Twitter, writing: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention, this does not reflect the specification of one of our hampers. Please can you DM us the details of the school that your child attends and we will investigate immediately.”
One Twitter user replied to the thread saying: “Hampers! That is a pitiful amount of rubbish. Why this has to be put into the hands of a profiteering, private company is beyond me.
“This lady and the many others know how to feed their children decent food. Yet they are not trusted with a voucher to shop for food. Scandalous!”
Many people are calling for Chartwells to release specifications and/or images of what their ‘food hampers’ should look like. Others are calling for them to release the documents that indicate what was agreed with the government to supply each child.
Many others are sharing their shopping lists that either equal £30 or are less, and they are considerably larger than this attempt.
Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner has weighed in on the situation, writing: “A 50 grand bonus for Dominic Cummings. £22bn wasted on failed test and trace. £1bn in contracts dished out to their donors and cronies.
“Yet this is what the Tories decide to give our hungry children to feed them for 10 days. Disgusting, disgraceful and we will not accept this.”
Marcus Rashford has now also criticised the free school meal packages, writing: “3 days of food for 1 family … Just not good enough”.
He later added: “Then imagine we expect the children to engage in learning from home. Not to mention the parents who, at times, have to teach them who probably haven’t eaten at all so their children can … We MUST do better. This is 2021.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer has also called out the parcels, describing the situation as ‘a disgrace’. He tweeted: “The images appearing online of woefully inadequate free school meal parcels are a disgrace. Where is the money going?”
He added: “This needs sorting immediately so families don’t go hungry through lockdown.”
The Department for Education has replied also, tweeting: “We have clear guidelines and standards for food parcels, which we expect to be followed.”
However, MP Simon Clarke – who voted against giving vouchers to children in school holidays – accused people of whipping ‘a storm up on Twitter’.
He wrote: “There are a lot of people seeking to whip a storm up on Twitter tonight. Too much to hope in age of instant outrage to wait for the facts before jumping in. DfE are likewise investigating.”
Government guidelines state that packages should contain food items instead of prepared meals so parents can make healthy lunches. Plus it adds that parcels should not rely on parents having additional ingredients at home. The hampers should also cater for pupils of all diets.
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
Two men have now been charged with murder, following the discovery of a human torso in Kersal Dale.
As well as that, more suspected human remains were also discovered this morning, Monday April 29th, in an alleyway close to the railway lines off Worsley Road, Eccles.
This follows earlier discoveries of human remains over the past three weeks, at Kersal Dale, Blackleach Reservoir and Colliery Wood, all in Salford.
Greater Manchester Police
Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski (25/04/1956) and Marcin Majerkiewicz (10/04/1982) both of Worsley Road, Eccles, have been charged with murder.
They are set to appear at Tameside Magistrates Court this afternoon.
While formal identification is still ongoing, the remains found at Kersal Dale are believed to be of a local man in his 60s. The remains found at the other three locations are still to be tested, but police are confident they belong to the same victim.
ACC Sarah Jackson said: “We have had large numbers of officers, staff and specialists working diligently on this investigation over the last three weeks. It has been very much a large, collective effort, with the victim and family at the heart of it from the outset.
“We have specially trained officers deployed to support the family as they come to terms with this tragic news. They are aware of this morning’s further discovery and will continue to be kept up to date with how we are progressing.
“Despite the charges brought today, our work is far from over.
“The scenes we already have established in Bury and Salford will remain in place for much of this week whilst our searches and enquiries continue. Local officers will continue to patrol the impacted areas to provide reassurance.
“We will continue following every line of enquiry to recover and reunite the victim with his family, bringing a dignified end to this terrible scenario.
“I’d like to thank the communities of Salford and beyond for their cooperation throughout this investigation. I know this incident has come as a shock, and the support we’ve had from those in the area is very much appreciated.”
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