Tickets are now on sale for a special evening celebrating Blues legend Kevin Beattie next month.

The event at Greshams Ipswich on Thursday 24th October is aimed at Town fans who got behind The Beat Goes On appeal raising funds for a statue of Beattie, who died a year ago on Monday with the target total having been reached last month.

A number of special guests are being lined up for the evening, which will be hosted by BBC Radio Suffolk’s Mark Murphy, a member of The Beat Goes On committee.

Mark Calver, chief executive of Gresham's Ipswich and MC Contracts, and another committee member, says the event will be a great celebration of the former Town and England centre-half's life.

He said: "Greshams Ipswich is delighted to have been part of the team who have brought to fruition the statue of Ipswich Town's greatest ever player, Kevin Beattie.

"It's a tribute to the wonderful people of Ipswich that the fundraising target has been achieved well ahead of schedule.”

Tickets for the celebration event are available from the Greshams Ipswich website, costing £25 per person or £190 for a table of 10. The price includes a buffet and entertainment.

An auction of football memorabilia will take place on the night and there should be an opportunity to bid for one of the limited edition Kevin Beattie statue maquettes - a miniature of the final design.

Led by the EADT and Ipswich Star in conjunction with BBC Radio Suffolk and TWTD, The Beat Goes On was launched on December 18th last year - what would have been Beattie’s 65th birthday - with the initial aim of raising £110,000.

Donations quickly flooded in from fans and a number of events - some organised by the committee but many instigated by fans - helped boost the coffers, while MC Contracts and Ridgeons are donating the plinth in kind.

Sean Hedges-Quinn, known as Coach, the Town season ticket holder who sculpted the statues of both Sir Bobby Robson and Sir Alf Ramsey, has already begun work on the Beattie statue, which will stand on Portman Road just along from Beattie’s mentor Robson towards Planet Blue.

Although the target has been reached, a small contingency fund will be needed for the project with any further funds raised going towards additional elements relating to the statue, such as lighting and landscaping.

Photos: TWTD/Contributed

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