Three lions of England and Manchester United football club striker, Marcus Rashford, will be receiving a honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester in the summer. The recent development was announced on the varsityโs website on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.
The football star, who grew up in Wythenshawe, south Manchester, will be recognized with the award, which is the highest honor the university can bestow, โfor his remarkable campaign against child poverty off the field and outstanding sporting achievements on the pitchโ.
The United forward is being honored for his recent charity works in which he raised ยฃ20 million to ensure the continuity in the food distribution program, an initiative that impinges on the government decision to grant free food vouchers for the poorest families over the summer.
โDuring the lockdown, Rashford, from Wythenshawe in Manchester, teamed up with the poverty and food waste charity, FareShare. The collaboration has led to ยฃ20 million raised in financial and food donations enabling 3.9 million meals to be distributed to the countryโs most vulnerable every week during the Global COVID-19 pandemic,โ the varsity wrote.
โOn 15 June, he pushed the campaign forward even further by writing a heartfelt open letter to the UK Government. He followed up this message with a high-profile publicity and social media campaign drawing on his own personal experiences of using foodbanks and afterschool clubs growing up.
โ36 hours later the Government announced a change in policy, extending the food voucher scheme for those children on free school meals throughout the summer holidays. Rashfordโs campaign was credited as a major turning point in the Governmentโs thinking.โ
On his reaction to the award, Rashford declared that there is โstill a long way to goโ in the fight against child poverty.
โItโs a proud day for myself and my family. When you look at the great names that have been awarded this doctorate in the past, itโs humbling. We still have a long way to go in the fight to combat child poverty in this country but receiving recognition from your city means we are heading in the right direction and that means a lot. Thank you to The University of Manchester,โ he said.
At 22, the striker will be the youngest ever recipient of an honorary degree from the university.
He will also join the league of Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton both Manchester United legends, on the list of the recipients of the award.
