Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has picked up his Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), as he dedicated it to his mother, vowing to continue his fight to help disadvantaged children.
The footballer took his mum Melanie to Windsor Castle today as he picked up the prestigious award from Prince William.
The England and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is being recognised for his work last year to persuade the government to provide free meals to vulnerable youngsters in England throughout the school holidays during the coronavirus pandemic, forcing Boris Johnson into a U-turn
Other recipients included Dame Sheila Hancock who received her Damehood for services to drama and charity and rugby player Alun Wyn Jones who was made an OBE for services to his sport.
Rashford, 24, has maintained his drive for social change since then by forming a child food poverty taskforce, which has linked up with some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets and food brands.
Speaking after receiving his MBE, he said his motivation is to give the nation’s youngsters all the things he did not have when growing up in poverty in Greater Manchester.
He praised his mother for the support she has given him despite being a single parent to five children.
‘All the awards I’ve achieved for my charitable work have all gone to her and this one will join them as well,’ he said.
‘Without her I wouldn’t have the morals that I have because everything I’ve learnt, I’ve learnt from her.
‘She’s the reason I’ve got this so she should have it.’
Rashford has spoken candidly in the past about his mum ‘crying herself to sleep’ after working 14 hour shifts, because she was struggling to provide for his family.
The England international has always hailed his mum as the driving force behind the use of his platform to be a voice of change for kids that face a similar situation to what he did growing up.
Although he is unusual in campaigning while still playing, he said there’s ‘no point waiting’ as ‘kids are suffering, families need help and they’re not receiving the help that they need’.
He said: ‘It seems like there’s a lot going on but for me to put it in the simplest way – I’m trying to give children the things I didn’t have when I was kid. If I did have, I would have been much better off and had many more options in my life.
‘I’m just giving them the opportunity and I think they deserve the opportunity what child doesn’t. For me it’s a punishment for them not to be getting things like meals or supplies of books.’
The footballer has already received several accolades for his food poverty campaign.
The England forward has repeatedly called for the free school meal provision to be extended to all children aged seven to 18 in households earning £20,000 or less after benefits, and to children that are undocumented or living in immigrant households with no recourse to public funds.
He has also teamed up with Macmillan Children’s Books to launch a book club to promote reading and literacy among youngsters from all socio-economic backgrounds.
Last year he was successful in persuading Boris Johnson to set aside £170m to feed vulnerable children during the winter after the nation went back into lockdown.
He re-launched the campaign in September when schools returned, urging everyone to write to their local MP to demand more action to tackle child hunger.