Man United fan and schoolboy raises thousands for foodbank with Marcus Rashford inspiration

A young Manchester United fan has raised thousands for foodbanks after setting off to Old Trafford from Northern Ireland.

10-year-old schoolboy, Ben Dickinson, has smashed his 50,000-meal fundraising target within days of setting off on a charity walk from his hometown in Larne, Northern Ireland to Old Trafford, in aid of food poverty charity FareShare.

The monumental milestone, which equates to £12,500 in donations, was reached just six days into his ten-day ‘Ben’s Miles for Meals’ trek, and it will enable FareShare to tackle hunger in the most vulnerable communities by distributing food packages to charities and foodbanks in Northern Ireland, and across the rest of the UK.

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Ben has already exceeded his original target and that tally is set to increase even further with an online auction live this week, offering the opportunity to purchase signed memorabilia from some of the world’s best players, including some United legends.

The auction will include signed memorabilia from players such as George Best, Wayne Rooney, and David Beckham, and the charity campaign will culminate with a hero’s welcome for Ben at Old Trafford on Saturday as United play Tottenham.

Sir Alex Ferguson will welcome Ben at Old Trafford on the pitch.

"Now we're getting towards the end of the walk, it's getting a bit tiring," Ben told the Manchester Evening News . "I was inspired by Marcus Rashford. I like him as a player, but not only is he good on the pitch, but he's also a really good person off the pitch.

"I saw what he was doing for FairShare and thought why don't I do something the same! I was delighted to reach my target this week,