Town have announced that the Legends bar in the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand will be renamed Beattie’s in honour of Kevin Beattie and that they are in discussions regarding a fundraising event for the statue campaign.
Legends, which hosts up to 350 fans on matchdays, will take its new name from the start of 2019/20. "
Town will stage a formal unveiling before the start of the season where former and current Town players and staff will be present along with supporters.""
The club are also currently in talks with The Beat Goes On campaign regarding an event which will see proceeds going towards the cost of the statue of Beattie, who died in September aged 64.
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 on what would have been Beattie’s 65th birthday.
The current target is £110,000, although it is hoped that figure will be reduced as the campaign progresses. The total has now reached £80,000 which allows Hedges-Quinn, known as Coach, to be formally commissioned to start work.
Events already scheduled for the summer include screenings of Escape to Victory at Greshams on June 12th and 13th where Osman, John Wark, Laurie Sivell and Kevin O’Callaghan will be telling stories from the film in which Beattie was Michael Caine’s body double.
There is also the night of Proper Comedy at Portman Road on Friday 31st May.
You can make a donation online via the Go Fund Me page or send a cheque made payable to ‘The Beat Goes On’ to Kevin Beattie Statue Appeal, EADT, Portman House, 120 Princes Street, Ipswich, IP1 1RS.
There are also collection buckets at reception at the EADT’s offices and at BBC Radio Suffolk.