A very limited number of replicas of the statue of Blues legend Kevin Beattie have gone on sale today on what would have been the England international’s 67th birthday.
The pandemic has meant that the unveiling of the statue has been put on hold until it is safe to do so in front of fans in May but 40 maquettes handmade by sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn, who also produced the statues of Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, are being made available now.
Beattie, widely viewed as the club’s greatest ever player, died suddenly at the age of 64 in September 2018.
The Beat Goes On statue appeal - a joint initiative between the EADT/Ipswich Star, BBC Radio Suffolk and TWTD - was launched two years ago today with £110,000 raised in eight months, while MC Contracts and Ridgeons agreed to provide the plinth.
The statue will stand in Portman Road, across the road from Sir Alf Ramsey and diagonally opposite Planet Blue.
The maquettes are cast in bronze resin and mounted on a beautiful engraved plinth and are available for £1,200.
Yesterday, the first one was presented to Karen Finch, the founder of the Hearing Care Centre, who put in the winning bid during an auction at a gala fundraising night last year. All proceeds from the sales will go towards the statue project.
Brad Jones, editor of the EADT and Ipswich Star, said: "While the statue itself has been bronzed and is all but finished, the project itself has been delayed for obvious reasons.
"But we hope that by spring, life will have started to return to normal, allowing an unveiling which fans can attend safely.
"Bearing in mind this project has been driven by Town's brilliant supporters, we think it's so important as many as possible can be there when it's unveiled.
"We also think there will be Town fans who will want one of these stunning replicas, which are destined to be a real collector's item."
You can order a maquette, which comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Beattie’s daughter Emma, Hedges-Quinn (pictured below) and Terry Butcher, here.