If you’re anything like me, the great lockdown of 2020 already feels like a distant memory. Support bubbles, homeschooling, furlough and ‘next slide’ are all terms that have been buried somewhere in my brain, hopefully never to resurface again.
But one word that will stay with me is kindness.
Because despite going through the most tumultuous time most of us have lived through, people across the country did the most extraordinary things for others.
Lockdown brought out the very best in many people –from Captain Sir Tom Moore raising millions doing laps of his garden on his zimmer, to Annemarie Plas, who started Clap for Carers, the campaign that got us out on our doorsteps giving a nationwide round of applause for our healthcare workers.
But for me, the person who touched my heart the most was footballer Marcus Rashford, who led the fight against child hunger in lockdown.
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Footballers were given a hard time early on.
They’re easy targets, with even Health Secretary Matt Hancock taking aim, saying Premier League footballers should “play their part” and take a pay cut during the pandemic. Funny, I don’t remember the same request being made of City bankers.
But the Manchester United and England star rose above such pettiness to become one of the heroes of the pandemic.
He did more to help disadvantaged children with his campaign for free school meals than anyone in a position of power did.
He didn’t have to do anything. He was only 22, and quite frankly it wasn’t the job he signed up for. Nonetheless he put his head above the parapet and persuaded the Government to do a U-turn and provide food vouchers during the summer holiday for the 1.3million children in receipt of free school meals.
He followed this up by getting the Government to climb down again and provide vital meals over Christmas and subsequent holidays. It amounted to £396million worth of support, helping 1.7million vulnerable children.
It was incredible to see a young man use his platform to make such a difference. He is a true role model. Barack Obama praised him, saying he was “way ahead of where I was at his age”.
Young people in Britain, especially young black men, often get a bad rap. Marcus is a reminder of the good that people can do in bad times.
I can’t wait to see what he does next.
