Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has won plaudits in recent months with his determined campaigning for free school meals. The England international forced Prime Minister Boris Johnson to U-turn twice and extend free school meals for families struggling during the pandemic. His work has inspired many, earning Rashford the Expert Panel Special Award at Sports Personality of the Year. And now, the BBC is airing a documentary on the footballer’s childhood.
He has spoken candidly about his experiences growing up as his mother worked multiple and even revealed she sacrificed meals in order to feed her children.
In the documentary’s trailer, Rashford said: “It should never be normal for somebody to feel how I felt. If they’re in need, they don’t have anyone fighting for them, I should be the one that does it.”
Rashford’s mother, Melanie, added: “Sometimes we didn’t even have a loaf of bread in the house.
“It’s embarrassing to say but we didn’t.”
A teacher expressed her admiration for Rashford’s work, branding it a “lifeline for so many parents”.
While the Manchester United star has been praised, this has led to pressure on Downing Street.
Labour peer Lord Peter Hain told Express.co.uk that while Rashford’s efforts deserve praise, the situation has been a “terrible indictment” on the UK.
He said: “It’s been inspiring first of all because it is unusual for sports stars of his stature to speak out in this way, and to do so not in a political party sense but to take on the Government.
“He won the first time round, and I suspect during the winter there will be another arrangement.”
Just a few days after Lord Hain’s statement, Mr Johnson U-turned a second time after weeks of refusal from the Government
Mr Johnson phoned Rashford to inform him of his change of heart.
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford row dubbed ‘terrible indictment of UK’
The package includes a £170million Covid winter grant scheme to support vulnerable families in England and an extension of the holiday activities and food programme to the Easter, summer and Christmas breaks next year.
Following the decision, Rashford said: “There is still so much more to do, and my immediate concern is the approximate 1.7 million children who miss out on free school meals, holiday provision and Healthy Start vouchers because their family income isn’t quite low enough.
“But the intent the Government has shown today is nothing but positive, and they should be recognised for that.”
The conversation around child hunger in the UK was met with more bad news last week, as UNICEF launched an emergency response to help feed children in the UK for the first time in 70 years.
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Anna Kettley, director of programmes at UNICEF UK, said: “The coronavirus crisis is having an unprecedented impact on children’s lives — their support systems ripped apart, their education lost, their access to food impacted.
“Through these grants, we hope to reach the UK’s most vulnerable children and their families and ensure they receive the vital food support they need to eat well.
“Our goal is to ensure that children survive the coronavirus crisis — and thrive beyond it.”
According to UNICEF, 2.4 million British children already grow up in food-insecure households and over a fifth of these households with children have gone hungry during the lockdown due to financial difficulty.
While relative child poverty rates have remained stable over recent years, there are now 4.2 million children living in poverty – 600,000 more than in 2012.
The Government’s Social Mobility Commission report also estimated this year that child poverty rates are projected to increase to 5.2 million by 2022.
