About 40+ fans, most in the stripes. Counted seven cameras filming us, the flowers looked good (and was the point) so it didn't really matter there wasn't huge numbers of us.
We had Stadium Yes banners with people either side of the gates (which they shut with solid ones behind the normal metal bars as we began!), then the flowers to one side (in an arrangement roughly 14 bouquets wide by 7 deep), along with the wheelbarrow and balloons.
Each bouquet was large, with a card with the club name and crest at the top, with a handwritten message on each. We spent ages arranging these so the messages could be read, and most of the cameras got plenty of pans across the layout and close-ups of messages. The messages were great, from managers, club secretaries etc - a personal note each time (even if they were all in the same handwriting) - really looked like each and every club was behind us. We made sure ones like Hull (John Prescott's constituency) were prominent and filmed. Also everyone was obsessed with having Southend prominent, but I never quite found out why....! I'm still recovering from having to carry the one from Leyton Orient across Whitehall from the van to no.26...
Had frustrating but hopefully fruitful-in-the-end conversation with woman from BBC South. She kept asking how many bouquets there were.
"91. That's one from every other league club."
"So there's some from the Premiership?
"Yes. Every Premiership club, from Manchester Utd down. And every other league club too."
"That's great! What about Division One? Any from there?"
"Yes..."
And so on, for some considerable time. Bless her.
Plenty of attention from passers-by, buses and our friends in the Met! I had to shoot off back to work, but I think the plan was eventually to take the cards from each bouquet and hand them into JP's office.
Well done everyone!
We had Stadium Yes banners with people either side of the gates (which they shut with solid ones behind the normal metal bars as we began!), then the flowers to one side (in an arrangement roughly 14 bouquets wide by 7 deep), along with the wheelbarrow and balloons.
Each bouquet was large, with a card with the club name and crest at the top, with a handwritten message on each. We spent ages arranging these so the messages could be read, and most of the cameras got plenty of pans across the layout and close-ups of messages. The messages were great, from managers, club secretaries etc - a personal note each time (even if they were all in the same handwriting) - really looked like each and every club was behind us. We made sure ones like Hull (John Prescott's constituency) were prominent and filmed. Also everyone was obsessed with having Southend prominent, but I never quite found out why....! I'm still recovering from having to carry the one from Leyton Orient across Whitehall from the van to no.26...
Had frustrating but hopefully fruitful-in-the-end conversation with woman from BBC South. She kept asking how many bouquets there were.
"91. That's one from every other league club."
"So there's some from the Premiership?
"Yes. Every Premiership club, from Manchester Utd down. And every other league club too."
"That's great! What about Division One? Any from there?"
"Yes..."
And so on, for some considerable time. Bless her.
Plenty of attention from passers-by, buses and our friends in the Met! I had to shoot off back to work, but I think the plan was eventually to take the cards from each bouquet and hand them into JP's office.
Well done everyone!
