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Marcush Rashford fronts massive new campaign to end child poverty in the UK

This is amazing…

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Ardfern / Wikimedia

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is leading a huge campaign to end child poverty in the UK, and has urged every single MP to back the campaign.

The football star who forced Boris Johnson to extend free school meals into the summer holidays in a massive u-turn by the government earlier this year is continuing his efforts. 

Working with many UK supermarkets and food retailers, Rashford has created the ‘National Food Strategy’.

The campaign should see expansion of free school meals, school holiday support and the Healthy Start voucher scheme to ensure no child goes hungry. 

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@dnmaysportsmgt @rocnationsports

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Rashford, who is just 22, has written to every MP in the country to urge them to back the campaign. 

The letter sees him write about meeting a mother of two young sons living off three slices of bread a day. She cooks them in hot water and sugar, hoping the ‘porridge consistency might better sustain the hunger of her one-year old child’.

The letter also speaks of a family, who sleep on one mattress on the floor after selling everything valuable to put food on the table. 

He writes: “This is the true reality of England in 2020”.

The letter adds: “Within two days of sitting with these families, I could better understand how food poverty is contributing to social unrest.

“Watching a young boy keeping it together whilst his mother sobbed alongside him, feeling like he has to step up to protect his family and alleviate some of that worry. He was nine-years-old…

“I know that feeling. I remember the sound of my mum crying herself to sleep to this day, having worked a 14-hour shift, unsure how she was going to make ends meet.

“That was my reality and thankfully I had the talent to kick a ball around to pull us all out of that situation. Many can’t find that way out and aren’t being offered a helping hand to do so.

“Those most at risk aren’t in a position and don’t have the platform to scream help from the top of the rooftops but, for those ready to speak, my intention is to offer them the platform to do so, and for those who aren’t, I will continue to be their voice and act on their behalf.”

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Clean…😎

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Marcus Rashford, with Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Deliveroo, FareShare, Food Foundation, Iceland, Kellogg’s, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, has formed the ‘Child Food Poverty Task Force’.

The task force aims to fund free school meals for every child from a household on Universal Credit or equivalent, adding 1.5 seven-16 year old children. 

It will expand to a further 1.1m children with increases in Healthy Start vouchers (from values of £3.10 to £4.25 per week) that include food and holiday provision for all children on free school meals. This scheme will expand to all those on Universal Credit or equivalent and will reach an additional 290,000 pregnant women and children under the age of four. 

Rashford added: “These children are the future – our next generation of NHS workers, police officers, footballers and politicians.

“Allow our children to believe that, regardless of the cycle, they can be anything they put their mind to.

“The topic of child food poverty will always be greeted with judgement, excuse and assumption but, at the end of the day, the only valid response we should be giving is, whatever the situation, it is NEVER the child’s fault.”

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Jonnie Irwin admitted to hospital as he battles terminal cancer

The star shared his health update on Wednesday afternoon

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@jonnieirwintv / Instagram

A Place In The Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin has been inundated with support from his fans after he was admitted to hospital, as he battles terminal cancer.

 Jonnie, 49, took to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon (May 24th) to share the health update with his 164,000 followers.

He wrote: “In hospital this week monitoring a changeover in my pain management regime. “Fingers crossed I’ll be out in time to make an appearance on Sunday for this weekend’s A Place In The Sun LIVE event at @olympialondon in Kensington.”

The dad-of-three was instantly inundated with messages from his concerned fans. One adoring fan wrote: “Hope that works for you Jonnie and brings some improvements.”

Another commented: “Really hope they manage to get your pain medication right for you.” And a third typed: “Sending you much love and wishes for a speedy recovery.”

@jonnieirwintv / Instagram & AIG Life

Jonnie went public with his illness in November 2022, almost two and a half years after he was diagnosed with lung cancer, which has since spread to his brain.

Explaining why he kept his condition private for such a long time, Jonnie said he ‘needed money’ and so he had to keep working while undergoing treatment.

Jonnie’s hospital stay comes after he further opened up about his terminal cancer battle in a very frank and honest interview on AIG Life’s OneChat podcast.

@jonnieirwintv / Instagram

The presenter, who has also worked on Escape to the Country and To Buy or Not to Buy, said he hopes part of his legacy will be teaching others to ‘learn from his mistake’.

He said on AIG Life’s OneChat podcast: “One of the reasons I came out and told people about my story…I want people to learn from my mistake.

“I didn’t take critical illness insurance out and therefore I had to keep working.

“Without work, I’ve got no means of paying the bills. And if I had taken the critical illness insurance out, that could’ve covered my outgoings and I probably could’ve told the world a lot sooner.”

@jonnieirwintv / Instagram

Jonnie also spoke about the devastating impact his treatment has had on his personality, saying: “You lose your memory, you lose your patience. I have got a very short temper.

“It’s not made me a better person, that’s for sure.”

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Greater Manchester shoppers slam Sainsbury’s rule that makes them ‘feel like thieves’

‘By treating me as a thief you have lost me as a decades-long customer’

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not_r1c1 / Reddit & @LaurenHStarkey / Twitter

Greater Manchester shoppers have slammed a new Sainsbury’s rule which they say makes them ‘feel like thieves’.

Customers at some Sainsbury’s stores in Greater Manchester have been left fuming over the new policy which requires them to scan receipts before they exit.

Some customers of the supermarket giant have said the introduction of the new receipt barriers is simply ‘making everyone’s life harder’ and have called it a ‘pointless waste of everyone’s money and time’.

Having to provide proof of purchase upon exit has been criticised by several angry shoppers venting their frustrations online and threatening to boycott the store.

But the barriers have since been introduced in more shops across the country, including stores in Fallowfield and Salford — following on from the introduction of cameras at the supermarket’s self-service stations in recent years.

If receipts are not scanned, barriers prevent customers from leaving until a store assistant is contacted.

On Twitter, one person wrote: “This feels absolutely insane to me: Sainsbury’s has introduced these barriers at the exits which you need to scan a receipt to open.

“If you don’t buy anything and there’s no one there to tailgate, you need to get security to come and let you out.”

While another tweeted: “@sainsburys I’ve just been locked in to self-checkout for not getting a receipt. By treating me as a thief you have lost me as a decades-long customer.

“Outrageous. Open more checkouts if you want to verify all purchases. You are greedy and hostile. Goodbye and good riddance.”

On Reddit, one user has posted a picture of a notice in one of the Sainsbury’s store, reading: “We’ve introduced new barriers as you leave this store.

“You’ll need to take your receipt and scan this on the barcode reader in front of the barriers.”

not_r1c1 / Reddit

Another shopper said: “Pointless waste of money and time, just makes everyone’s life harder.” Some customers questioned the impact the scheme would have on the environment, with the need for receipts to be printed.

One person typed: “Almost every self-service checkout I’ve used for at least a year has let me opt-out of a receipt. Guess we’re not doing less-waste-paper anymore?” While someone else pointed out: “What happens if what you came for wasn’t in? Therefore had no receipt.”

 Earlier this month, the chief inspector of constabulary told The Mirror police should use ‘discretion’ when deciding whether to prosecute desperate shoplifters amid rising poverty levels during the cost of living crisis, and soaring prices on supermarket shelves.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said the introduction of the barriers ‘is one of a range of security measures in a small number of stores’.

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Elderly dog now unrecognisable after RSPCA shave off 2kg of severely matted fur

He looks completely different!

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RSPCA

An elderly dog is now unrecognisable after the RSPCA had to shave off 2kg of severely matted fur from its coat.

The dog, described as ‘sweet and ‘gentle’ by rescuers was found on May 2nd, with a severely matted coat that was caked in faeces but is now completely unrecognisable after rescuers shaved off almost 2kg of ‘stinking’ fur.

Larry, thought to be 13-years-old, suffered months of neglect after he was abandoned in the Bradfield Road area of Crewe, says the RSPCA.

The poodle/Maltese-type pooch was in such a ‘shocking’ state that it was quite difficult to tell what breed he was.

RSPCA

His heavily matted fur was caked in faeces and urine and had formed thick, hardened chunks around his head, tail and feet, leaving his face almost completely covered — as reported by ITV News.

Larry, who was not microchipped, was transferred to the charity’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital where vets sedated him before they shaved him.

He is now receiving ongoing care at the RSPCA’s Wirral & Chester branch animal home in Wallasey and has bonded with several canine companions.       

Centre manager Kay Hawthorn, who is currently fostering Larry, said: “Under the huge matted clumps of fur, a sweet and gentle dog has emerged who’s been given a new lease of life.

RSPCA

“He was struggling to get around properly and it must have been so uncomfortable for him.

“Now he’s enjoying running around again – something he’s probably not been able to do for a long time — and given his advancing years, he’s surprisingly sprightly.”

The RSPCA is investigating Larry’s case and is appealing to anyone who recognises the dog to come forward.

RSPCA inspector Louise Showering said: “Larry was in an appalling condition, his coat looked like a pile of dirty old rags and it’s likely he’d been neglected for a prolonged period of time. We think he was probably abandoned, or deliberately left to stray. 

RSPCA

“His condition would have been of concern to anyone who saw him, and we’re very thankful to the member of the public who so kindly stopped and made sure he got the help he desperately needed.”

Anyone who recognises Larry, who was found on May 2nd, is urged to call the RSPCA’s appeals line on 0300 123 8018 quoting reference 1065689. 

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