AN INSPIRATIONAL USE OF INFLUENCE FROM FOOTBALLER MARCUS RASHFORD

Last week witnessed celebrity influence at its best, with Boris Johnson announcing that school meal vouchers would be given to 1.3 million children during the summer holidays, after a heartfelt campaign from footballer Marcus Rashford.

Rashford himself grew up reliant on school meals, so the football star lobbied the government in an open letter, asking them to reverse a decision not to provide vouchers over the summer. Downing Street’s initial response was less than positive. However, through his letter and an inspiring interview on the BBC, Rashford’s words took effect with many Tory MPs, who threatened to rebel against their party if nothing was done. In a miraculous turn around, a £120 million fund was announced on Tuesday with the PM calling Rashford to congratulate him on the campaign.

At a time when many so-called influencers have been called out for using BLM protests to get a good snap for their feed in an inauthentic attempt to claim cultural relevance, we love seeing this example of celebrity social media influence being leveraged for positive social change.