Award-winning caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure is marking the football World Cup with a fundraising initiative sixty years after the company’s chairman saw England take the trophy.
Salop Leisure will donate £50 to Severn Hospice for every goal England scores during the World Cup, and if England win the tournament, the final amount will be doubled.
Chairman of Salop Leisure Tony Bywater was at Wembley Stadium for the 1966 World Cup final, which famously saw England defeat West Germany. It was the same year that Salop Leisure was established.
Tony had to attend 10 games during the 1966 tournament to qualify for tickets to the final. He saw Pelé famously get injured at Goodison Park and a game at Old Trafford. He also got to see Eusebio, his favourite player, with a comeback for the ages..JPG)
“I’ll always remember the game between Portugal and Korea DPR. Korea DPR were 3-0 up in the first 25 minutes, but then Eusebio gave a legendary performance that saw Portugal score 5 goals!”
Tony then saw England scrape through the semi-finals against Portugal, before attending the final where England won the World Cup.
“I was standing behind the goal when Sir Geoff Hurst scored that controversial goal – I didn’t think it had gone in! It was a wonderful atmosphere when we won. I wasn’t very old then and was in charge of driving our group home. I should have had a parking ticket, but everyone was so happy they let me off! I drove us back to Shrewsbury where the celebrations continued.”
When Sir Geoff Hurst became manager of Telford United, he organised a charity match where the 1966 England World Cup winners played Telford, and Hurst scored against his own team. Tony was a linesman at the event.
Ed Glover, head of marketing at Salop Leisure, said: "Of course, the whole team here are already rooting for England to do well in this year’s World Cup, so to have the added benefit of supporting our 2026 charity as part of the excitement will add to the celebrations for every goal scored."
Jenny Bean, fundraising manager at Severn Hospice, said: "We’re incredibly grateful to everyone at Salop Leisure for coming up with such a fun and creative way to support Severn Hospice. As their Charity of the Year, it’s fantastic to see them combining these special anniversary celebrations and their love of football with fundraising for local families living with incurable illness.
“Our services are provided free of charge and support from businesses like Salop Leisure is invaluable in helping us continue to care. We’re hugely thankful for their ongoing commitment and look forward to seeing how much can be raised throughout the tournament.”
Pictured: from left, Holly Gibbons (Severn Hospice corporate fundraiser), Tanya Richards (Salop Leisure holiday home sales), Jenny Bean (Severn Hospice fundraising manager), Tony Bywater (Salop Leisure chairman), Oliver Davies (Salop Leisure marketing executive) and James Yewbery (Salop Leisure touring sales)
