SmartPly SiteProtect OSB used for world’s longest free-standing billboard, unveiled by Paddy Power at Cheltenham
Paddy Power, Ireland's biggest and most successful bookmaker, unveiled the world’s longest free-standing billboard today on Cleeve Hill, overlooking Cheltenham Racecourse. Unveiled on St. Patrick’s Day during the prestigious Cheltenham Festival for maximum impact, the Paddy Power sign is a new world record at 270ft long; eclipsing the previous record holder at 160ft long, and also dwarfs the iconic Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. As well as being the world’s longest sign, the giant Paddy Power sign stands at 50ft in height - taller than three double-decker London buses stacked on top of each other. To create a billboard of such extraordinary dimensions, Paddy Power turned to a compatriot manufacturer, SmartPly OSB, whose new SiteProtect wood product (a durable, pre-coated oriented strand board developed for hoarding) was perfect for the task. With SmartPly being part of the panel products division of Coillte, the Irish forestry and forest products company, Geoff Rhodes, marketing and business development director for Coillte Panel Products was convinced Paddy Power had made the right choice. He said, “SiteProtect is sustainable, in demand and performs in every application, be it site hoarding or security, but this is the first time it has been used on such an epic scale. The sheer size of the sign is an achievement carried out with the irreverent flair we’ve come to expect from Paddy Power’s advertising, but to have Irish product used by an Irish company on St. Patrick’s Day is planning perfection”. Paddy Power himself said: “Cheltenham is the biggest and the best race meeting in the world so we wanted to build a monument to reflect and celebrate that. Everyone knows how much the Irish love Cheltenham, so we are delighted to finally have built them a sign to celebrate what many people call the Irish people’s second home in true Hollywood style.” The Paddy Power sign • 270 feet long (82 metres) • 50 feet high (15 metres) • Almost 100 tonnes in total • SmartPly SiteProtect supplied by William T Eden • 60 man build crew • Over 1000 man hours to design and build • Landmarks dwarfed by the Paddy Power sign: - At over 270ft wide, it’s longer than the world’s largest free-standing billboard in Manila, Philippines (160ft) - Taller and bigger than the Hollywood sign (45ft by 200ft) - Longer than the famous Cerne Abbas Giant (180ft) - At over 50ft high, it’s taller than three double-decker London buses stacked on top of each other
17 March 2010