Marcus Rashford awarded MBE for services to vulnerable children during the Covid-19 pandemic

Marcus Rashford awarded MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to vulnerable children during the Covid-19 pandemic.

THE Manchester United and England forward was instrumental in a Government u-turn after school meals were suspended over the summer period.

He has now been awarded the prestigious title for his high-profile campaign which secured meal vouchers for children ‘living in poverty’.

The government had initially announced plans to suspend the £15-a-week vouchers while schools were closed over the summer.

As Rashford’s campaign mounted more and more pressure, Downing Street was forced to launch a new £120m fund for 1.3 million pupils in England.

PM Boris Johnson reportedly contacted Rashford himself to thank him for his efforts.

In a tweet, the footballer said: “I’m incredibly honoured and humbled. As a young black man from Wythenshawe, never did I think I would be accepting an MBE, never mind at the age of 22.

“This is a very special moment for myself and my family, but particularly my mum who is the real deserving recipient of the honour.

The fight to protect our most vulnerable children is far from over. I would be doing my communuity, and the families I have met and spoken with, an injustice if I didn’t use this opportunity to respectfully urge the Prime Minister, who recommended me for this honour, to support our children during the October half term with an extension of the voucher scheme, as the furlough scheme comes to an end and we face increased unemployment.

“Another sticking plaster, but one that will give the parents of millions of children in the UK just one less thing to worry about.

“Let’s stand together in saying that no children in the UK should be going to bed hungry. As I have said many times before, no matter your feeling or opinion, not having access to food is NEVER the child’s fault.”

Rashford is committed to eradicate child food poverty, and has put together a task force of the UK’s largest supermarkets and food brands to help the most vulnerable.

In a letter to MPs, he said that “food poverty is contributing to social unrest”, and added that parents are “raising respectful, eloquent young men and women, who, in reality, are part of a system that will not allow them the opportunity to win and succeed”.

Rashford said that when you add “school closures, redundancies and furloughs into the equation…we have an issue that could negatively impact generations to come. It all starts with stability around access to food”.

Thank you for reading this article “Marcus Rashford awarded MBE for services to vulnerable children during the Covid-19 pandemic”.

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Tara Rippin

Tara Rippin is a reporter for Spain’s largest English-speaking newspaper, Euro Weekly News, and is responsible for the Costa Blanca region.
She has been in journalism for more than 20 years, having worked for local newspapers in the Midlands, UK, before relocating to Spain in 1990.
Since arriving, the mother-of-one has made her home on the Costa Blanca, while spending 18 months at the EWN head office in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
She loves being part of a community that has a wonderful expat and Spanish mix, and strives to bring the latest and most relevant news to EWN’s loyal and valued readers.

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Comments


    • vincent backhouse

      12 October 2020 • 16:23

      What a honourable young man. He forced the government to feed children. Was it a Boris over site? Or does he not care about the ordinary people that need to feed their kids after Lock-down.

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