A London Derby Cup game, under the floodlights and to be played in front of the Sky Sports TV cameras beamed to millions around the world… the Leyton Orient vs Tottenham Hotspur game wasn’t just going to a game to relish for the players and supporters of The O’s and Spurs, it was also for Bill Plant Driving School as we were due to feature prominently during the game with a one-off kit sleeve sponsorship and advertising banner in the stadium.
We had secured a kit and stadium seating advertisement with Leyton Orient and we were planning to run a driving lessons competition for fans watching the game live on Sky Sports.
Sadly however, The Round Three tie of the Carabao Cup scheduled for Tuesday 22 September could not take place following a number of Leyton Orient players testing positive for COVID-19.
All involved were naturally gutted but this hasn’t stopped Leyton Orient and Bill Plant Driving School from working together. Alongside committing to the seating advertising, Bill Plant Driving School has agreed to pass on a signed match shirt intended for the game to Leyton-based Children’s Hospice Haven House to auction on their eBay Store, kindly organised and signed by the first-team at Leyton Orient.
The signed Leyton Orient “match shirt” is a genuine one-off and it will be accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity by the club. It will be auctioned on Haven House’s eBay Store with all the proceeds going to the Leyton-based Children’s Hospice.
Lindy Hunt, Head of Community Engagement at Haven House, said: “We cannot thank the team at Bill Plant Driving School enough for this gesture to donate the match shirt from the Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur game. We hope this special shirt goes to a great home and the hospice will thoroughly appreciate the funds received.”
Josh Stephens, Head of Commercial at Leyton Orient commented, “For the Tottenham game we had planned to promote the Bill Plant Driving School brand on the sleeve of our shirt and within our stadium advertising but sadly that wasn’t to be. We are delighted to be able to offer a fan the chance to get their hands on a real piece of Leyton Orient memorabilia via the eBay auction and raise funds for Haven House.”
Chris Bishop, Marketing Consultant for Bill Plant Driving School said, “It was an honour for Bill Plant Driving School to feature on this iconic community-focused Leyton Orient kit, and sadly for everyone involved the game didn’t go ahead. In passing the shirt to Haven House to auction, we trust this unique shirt will be an item for someone to treasure dearly and raise money for the fantastic people at Haven House.”
