Heineken’s ‘Cheers to’ campaign aims to celebrate the commitment of West Ham United fans around the world, rewarding a handful of individuals with football experiences they’ll truly never forget.
Next to share his story in the series is 64-year-old Neil Taylor, who has been helping his fellow West Ham United supporters since 2020 through his co-founded Hammers for Work and Support Group, which provides help and employment to individuals and their families across east London and beyond.
Neil’s affiliation with the Club started way back in the late 1960s. Spending much of his childhood just a stone’s throw from the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park, Taylor was always likely to be a die-hard West Ham fan.
As a teenager, Taylor would watch people’s cars while they attended fixtures at Upton Park and could see the roar of the West Ham crowd in the famous ‘Chicken Run’ terrace - an area of the ground where fans were stood very close to the pitch - from his bedroom window.
The rest, as they say, is history. Neil has been a Hammer ever since, and has undoubtedly experienced thrills and spills throughout the years. He identified West Ham’s third and most recent FA Cup triumph as one of his best memories following the team. He was in attendance at Wembley on the warm and sunny afternoon of 10 May 1980, when we rose to the big occasion and lifted the trophy courtesy of Trevor Brooking’s first-half header.
Fast forward 40 years, and Taylor was beginning to make his own real impact on the West Ham community. In the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when there was a lot of uncertainty around employment in the east London area, he set up a Facebook group - called Hammers for Work and Support - where he and others would look to help any fans looking for a job.
Since its inception over four years ago, he has helped more than 300 Hammers get jobs, grown the group to over 25,000 members, and supported over 50 charities and businesses within the local community. This year, Taylor and 17 others embarked on a three-day journey in a world-renowned adventure that saw him take on the highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales, raising just short of £26,000 for charity.
In recognition of his incredible efforts, Heineken rewarded Neil with an Ultimate Matchday Experience in hospitality at London Stadium this season, a signed shirt to auction off for local charities which achieved over £1,500 in donations and a huge merchandise donation of West Ham United gear to help Neil’s winter support campaign.
Having been told about his tale however, the Club and Heineken joined forces to go one step further, arranging for long-serving defender and current vice-captain Aaron Cresswell to surprise him during a tour of the Rush Green training facility.
“It was fantastic to meet Aaron,” said Taylor. “He’s an amazing person who is West Ham United through and through, and to stay at the Club for as long as he has is incredible. When he was reading out the message [from the Club and Heineken], it was a bit emotional, and for it to come from our vice-captain was very special.
“I’m really appreciative that Heineken have recognised the work that we do. I can’t thank them and the Club enough.
“West Ham means everything to me. I’ve been a supporter as long as I can remember. When we talk about the Academy of Football, I know exactly what that and the West Ham way means to people. If you’re a Hammer, you’re a Hammer, and I’ve got so many fond memories with this Club.
“My first memories of supporting the Club were when I lived five or six minutes from the ground in a block of flats called Jacob’s House, and I could actually see into the corner of the South Bank and the ‘Chicken Run’. If I opened my window I could hear the chants of the crowd.
“Living so close to the ground, me and a few friends would go over regularly. The first time I went to a game was around about 1968. I don’t remember the first game, but the second game I went to, we beat Sunderland 8-0, and [Geoff] Hurst got six goals. I used to earn some pocket money at games by looking after people’s cars. You’d stand there, look after people’s cars, and they’d give you a few shillings, but we’d go in and watch the game and leave a few minutes before full-time to be standing there for the people coming out.
“Among the highlights of my time being a fan are the recent success in Europe and that 1980 FA Cup win. To go to Wembley, win the FA Cup, and see my favourite player of all time, Billy Bonds, walk on to lift the trophy was a fantastic moment. He was a no-nonsense leader. A proper idol to me and someone I looked up to. I’ve been fortunate to meet him a few times and have been lost for words every time.”
Taylor offered a unique insight into what it takes to run a Facebook page such as Hammers for Work and Support, and told the story of its creation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
He said: “My friend Danny asked if I fancied setting up a group called Hammers for Work when COVID-19 had just started around 2020. The idea was to try and get Hammers into employment through any sort of work. We formed the group, and it took off as people posted regularly. We ended up changing the name to Hammers for Work and Support, and we’ve now reached 25,000 members and have helped so many different organisations, youth and homeless veterans.
“We’ve recently introduced an apprenticeship scheme too. We’ve managed to get people to games, having donated over 700 tickets. It’s a real group effort, and it’s more than a community; it’s a family. It feels amazing [to give back to the West Ham community].
“We took on the Three Peaks challenge in June, which was incredible. It was amazing to raise so much money for charity, and it was a big challenge. Collectively, we raised just short of £26,000, and we decided to split it into different charities. It’s great to give back to people who are struggling, and it comes through the kindness of the people in the group. It’s a real team effort, and I couldn’t do it without the admin. They deserve as much credit as I do. It’s the most rewarding thing about it [giving back to supporters of his own Club].”
For Cresswell, getting the opportunity to meet Neil offered him a chance to give something back to someone who has consistently gone to great lengths to offer support to the east London community.
As a player who has fully endeared himself to the Club’s faithful and the local community throughout his time in Claret and Blue, he is fully aware of the importance of Neil’s work in the London Borough of Newham.
“It was a real pleasure to meet Neil,” said Cresswell. “He does a lot for the local community. He’s done a lot of work behind the scenes, a lot of mental health stuff and a lot of stuff in the community and deserves to be recognised for what he’s done. He’s taken a lot of his own time out of his own life to help others.
“The work he does is massive. I think a lot of football clubs, not just in the Premier League, play a part in their own community and that brings everyone together. Football is a fantastic game, and the things it does for things outside of the stadium is important, such as mental health, togetherness and friendships, so it’s vital the players and clubs give back to their community.
“It’s great that Heineken can come together with West Ham and give back something to Neil for all the hard work and dedication that he has put in over the years. It’s only right that he gets the recognition, and it’s great to see.
“I’m now into my eleventh year at the Club and fully understand what it’s like to be part of it, know what the fans bring to the Club and the working-class background of east London. I think West Ham play a massive part in their community.”
Heineken remain on the hunt for similarly heart-warming stories among the Hammers faithful at home and abroad, as the ‘Cheers to’ campaign looks to recognise supporters for their dedication to the Club.
Tell us about a West Ham United fan* you think deserves to be nominated HERE.
*Nominees must be over the age of 18.
