Wolves fan celebrates after winning signed shirt in auction to help Grand Theatre
A signed Wolves shirt has been auctioned off to raise a total of £1,000 for the Grand Theatre amid lockdown.
The old gold and black piece was donated by the club to raise vital funds for the Wolverhampton venue's community projects.
And it was snapped up by Paula for her husband Nigel Van Ommeren, from Muxton in Telford, on behalf of their son as a post-Father's Day present.
Nigel, who is the manufacturing manager at JLR in Solihull, has supported the club for around 40 years – with his son Andrew also being a season ticket holder.
The 59-year-old, whose favourite player is Ruben Neves, said: "It was my wife who came across it. We're both Friends of the Grand and she saw it on social media and bid for it as a late Father's Day present for myself.
"The winning bid was £1,000 and I absolutely love it. Both my son and I have been season ticket holders for a long time – I used to go to Wolves with my father, so I've been supporting them for about 40 years plus.
"It's absolutely fantastic, the shirt, and even better with the money going to the Grand Theatre. It's a marvellous building as well. To stand on that stage to receive the shirt, you could see the vast enormity of it.
"It's fantastic, really fantastic."
The funding will be used for community projects ran by the theatre – including dementia cafes for those who have the condition and their carers.
"It's fantastic to be able to give something back as well as me having a prized shirt," he added.
The signed shirt will now take pride of place on Nigel's wall in his study.
