Star Platforms gives lift to airport’s bold support for Luton Town

London Luton Airport has sent an unmissable, high-altitude message of support for neighbouring Luton Town Football Club as it starts its Premier League campaign – with help from high-rise sponsor Star Platforms.

Thousands of passengers flying in to and out of London Luton Airport (LLA) are being greeted by a giant eco-friendly grass painting on the flight path featuring Luton Town midfields and club legend Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu.

Alongside is a tongue-in-cheek message: “Pundits, prepare to eat your hats. Luton Town FC has landed.”

To promote the huge painting, which covers 2,275 square metres, Luton Town sponsor Star Platforms supplied a cherry picker so Pelly, club captain Tom Lockyer and manager Rob Edwards could be photographed during a visit.

Star Platforms provided the Niftylift HeightRider 21 boom lift, controlled by company operative Darren Waistnedge, free-of-charge so the photographer could fit the giant painting and the football stars into the photo frame.

The cheeky sign can be seen by passengers in aircraft as they come into land at Luton Airport – Luton Town FC’s nickname is The Hatters.

Meteoric rise

Richard Miller, Joint Managing Director of Star Platforms, said: “As a local business and a long-standing club sponsor, Star Platforms was more than happy to provide an aerial platform so LLA could get the promotional pictures it needed.

“We’ve been backing Luton Town since the club was in English Football League Two in 2018. So, we feel the meteoric and incredibly well-

deserved rise to the best football league in the world is, in some way, entwined with our own rapid growth as a successful national powered access rental specialist.

“We’re hugely excited about Luton Town’s chances in the season ahead. As the painting says, the club may be considered as underdogs by the so-called experts, but we’re confident. With players like Pelly and Tom, together with a dynamic manager in Rob Edwards, the sky’s the limit!”

Pictured left, from the left, Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer, manager Rob Edwards, and Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu are photographed from the Star Platforms cherry picker. Pictured right, Pelly celebrates his moment of high-rise fame

Elevation needed

The painting measures 55 by 45 metres, the same width as LLA’s runway (45m) and the size of 87 London buses. It took over two days to create with over 500 litres of environmentally-friendly paint.

Given its scale, the photographer had to get up to a significant height to get the pictures needed. But Star Platform’s Niftylift HR21 self-propelled articulating boom lift was ideal.

Not only did it deliver the elevation the photographer needed – the platform has a maximum working height of 20.8 metres and a maximum outreach of 13 metres. As a rough terrain platform, it could also be driven across the open ground to exactly the spot needed to get the best shots.

Following Luton Town’s promotion, LLA is now the closest airport to a Premier League ground in the UK – just 3.1 miles from the club’s Kenilworth Road ground.

Pictured left, the photographer, left, and Star Platforms Driver, Darren Waistnedge, in the Nifty Height Rider 21 all-terrain cherry picker, preparing to snap the giant sign and visiting soccer stars. Pictured right, Luton Airport workers volunteer to put the finishing touches to the painting.

Empowering artwork

This means football fans from across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa can fly into the airport to see The Hatters take on other best teams in the world, including Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

It is the first time Luton Town has been in English football’s top flight since 1992, after a 3rd place finish in the league saw them go on to win promotion via last season’s Championship play-offs.

LLA created the empowering artwork on behalf of the local community at Stockwood Park, Luton, as it sits beneath the airport’s flight path and close to the team’s training ground.

Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu is the first player in footballing history to go from the non-league tiers of English football to the Premier League with the same club.

He said: “I’ve been bowled over by the love of the community during my years playing for the club, but seeing London Luton Airport create this today to cheer the team on has been out of this world. I can’t believe they’ve committed to showing their support by bringing their message and me to life on such a huge scale.”

Historic moment

London Luton Airport Operations Director Neil Thompson said: “As members of the local community for the past 85 years, we felt it was important to commemorate this historic moment for the town and for the team and wanted to cheer them on from a high-altitude, as well as on the ground. Up the Hatters!”

Star Platforms is one of the UK’s fastest-growing access rental specialists. Its HQ is in Houghton Regis, Dunstable, just 4 miles from Kenilworth Road. The company operates a Luton depot and seven others across the country.

Star Platforms’ extensive, modern powered access hire fleet includes scissor lifts, cherry pickers, and low-level platforms. It also delivers IPAF training and offers options for long-term contract hire as long as well as shorter term projects.