MUM’S PRIDE
Marcus Rashford’s ‘buzzing’ mum called him 10 times after he forced Boris Johnson to U-turn on free summer school meals
ENGLAND star Marcus Rashford’s "buzzing" mum called him 10 times after he forced Boris Johnson to U-turn on free summer school meals for struggling families.
The hero striker, 22, united Britain by forcing No10 to extend free school meals for more than a million vulnerable children over the summer.
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The PM phoned the Manchester United forward to thank him, and said extending the scheme “is the right thing to do”.
And Rashford has now explained his motivation for starting the project with the footballer – believed to be worth £65million – saying he “knows people and families” who are still struggling.
His mum Mel, a former Ladbrokes cashier, was bursting with pride and phoned him 10 times after her son changed the lives of millions of people.
Last night, he tweeted: “This is her moment” and posted a heart emoji.
MUM'S MOMENT
Rashford also said he launched his heroic free school meals fight to help kids like him reach their potential.
He admitted his mum was "buzzing" following the news, adding that her life would have been different if such help had been offered when he was young.
Rashford told GMB: "I know a lot of people who probably don’t have the platform to effect a decision like that. But it was something we spoke about as a family and we wanted to change.
"A lot of people got behind it and people of the general public got behind it and that’s what helped to change the decision too.
"It’s definitely a tough situation to be in but when you are a kid you don’t see it as that, you see the effect on your loved ones around you.
"It’s not nice to see your mum stressed or unhappy and that was the thing that affected me when I was young and what drove me to try and change that for her and my family.
My mum is buzzing… she rang me about ten times yesterday. And she just sounds really happy on the phone.
Marcus Rashford
"So, I understand the position kids are in and parents particularly too. I just wanted to change it as much as I could. We managed to fix it for a six week period but after that we need to look at ways to keep it in a positive light.”
He added: "My mum is buzzing… she rang me about ten times yesterday. And she just sounds really happy on the phone.
"I know it’s something that she would have wanted me to do because she knows how much it changes people’s lives.
"If something like this had happened when we were younger, it would have changed her life massively as well."
He told BBC Breakfast: “She's just very happy and when she was going through it, if someone had spoken out about it then, maybe the situation would have been different.
"I think she's just happy that now people that are going through it, people are aware of that now and people are going to try and help them as much as they can, she's just happy we're taking steps in the right direction.
"The calls from my mum to be honest, I think they are the ones which are most important to me. It's just nice to see her smile."
It’s not nice to see your mum stressed or unhappy and that was the thing that affected me when I was young and what drove me to try and change that for her and my family
Marcus Rashford
He added that he knows some British people “aren’t sleeping” because they are “worried about where their next meal is coming from”.
Rashford said: “Some people aren't sleeping, they can't do the normal things they do day to day because they're thinking about where their next meal is going to come from for their kids.
"It gets to a stage where they're not even thinking about themselves any more and that's the bit that gets to me.
“They can't follow what they've been dreaming of doing, work related, or whatever it may be, that's what affected me and what made me want to help.
"Obviously the areas that I've grown up in, I know a lot of different people and families who would've still been going through it now.
"And it's not so much about my family any more because obviously the situation has changed.
FRESH START
"I just don't want people to go through the same thing, it's just important to understand the place where I come from and my background and then it's quite simple, the reason why I would try and help people in that situation."
Mr Johnson told yesterday’s No10 press conference: “I talked to Marcus Rashford to congratulate him on his campaign which to be honest I only became aware of today.
“I thank him for what he has done – I think he is right to draw attention to this issue. We have got large numbers of kids who we haven’t been able to get back into school.
“I do think it’s right we should be looking after families of the most vulnerable right now.”
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The £120million Covid Summer Food Fund will give out £90 vouchers over the holidays for 1.3million kids eligible for free school meals.
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Downing Street said it is a one-off scheme “to reflect the unique circumstances of the pandemic”.
Rashford, who grew up in one of Manchester’s toughest areas, tweeted of his landmark win: “I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.”
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