The moving message behind the huge new Marcus Rashford MBE mural in Withington

The new mural of Marcus Rashford MBE in Withington by artist Akse P19 has moved a lot of people.

Inspired by the free school meal project ran by the newly appointed MBE, Akse said he hopes the mural will continue to inspire others.

Marcus Rashford’s campaign pushed the government to extend free school meals, including a £400m winter grant scheme to support children and families in England who may be struggling with financial and food insecurity, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Akse said: “I hope this mural will inspire the local community as Marcus has inspired the whole nation with his campaign to fight child food poverty.”

The touching message that is found on the mural is a quote which reads ‘take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose’, and was provided by Marcus’ mother.

The portrait can be found on the wall of Coffee House Café on Copson Street and it has already received a hugely positive reaction.

Marcus shared an image of the mural in Twitter with the caption: “Ok I usually get embarrassed sharing these things because this journey was never really about me but I know this took a lot of time and effort
@Akse_P19 and I wanted to say thank you”.

The tweet has racked up over 6k retweets and 95k likes. 

One fan replied: “No one who’s achieved what you have, has anything to be embarrassed about. Not only do you do wonderful acts, but you inspire others to also, that is invaluable. So when people see your picture, it reminds them to try harder, to help others “

Another wrote: “Acknowledging it was never about you is why you won hearts and minds. Not pulling the ladder up behind you after climbing it is also up there. Don’t ever stop, Marcus.”

A third said: “This is amazing. My dad is 72 & took a 3 mile walk today with my mum just to see this, they loved it. He hasn’t been able to get out much lately with Covid & the risk so you have ALL made more of a difference than you could even imagine on people/the community. Thank you”

The artwork, based on a photograph by Daniel Cheetham, was made in collaboration with community street art project, Withington Walls.