Marcus Rashford restored

Image: © Gerald England Taken: 18 Dec 2021

A mural depicting Marcus Rashford was spray-painted onto the end wall of the Coffee House Cafe on Copson Street in Withington by street artist Akse P19 in November 2020 Image Rashford had received an MBE in recognition of the work he did campaigning in the fight against child poverty in the UK. The artwork is based on a photograph by Daniel Cheetham; it was done in collaboration with Withington Walls, a community street art project. Shockingly in July 2021, after he failed to hit a penalty in the Euro 2020 final, the work was vandalised with racist comments and graffiti. The immediate local (and indeed national) response was to cover up the offending material with messages of support. Crowds gathered throughout the day to mark their respects and add good wishes and thoughts. The artist was on hand to repair the damaged portions of the work Image A few days later and although the media attention had died down, people were still visiting the site and adding further messages Image The messages have since been removed and are being stored, I understand, at the National Football Museum.

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