Away Days Beer is donating a proportion of every pint or bottle sold to The Beat Goes On, the campaign raising funds for a statue of Blues legend Kevin Beattie.

Town fan and TWTD Forum poster Josh Bartlett launched Away Days last year, “creating beautiful beer in celebration of the beautiful game”.

The idea came from a discussion on the terraces during a defeat to Derby at Portman Road with Boncho, in tribute to the Blues’ former Bulgarian striker, and Hoppy Robson, in homage to Town’s legendary manager the first ales produced.

They were quickly followed by The Beat, in salute to Beattie, who died aged 64 in September. Cash from the sale of all three Town beers will be donated to the campaign.

“It’s great to be a part of raising money for the statue,” Josh said. “What we’ve said is that with every sale of the ITFC beers, whether that’s in bottle or cask format, we’ll be donating towards the fund.

“There are a core of pubs around the local area selling the beers, The Steamboat rotate, the Brantham Bull always have them on, The Dove Street Inn keeps rotating, the Gladstone Arms in Stowmarket, they’re big fans and Gresham’s in Tuddenham Road, they’re stocking them as well.

“If you’re after bottles, Hopsters bottle shop on St Nicholas Street are selling all of them at present. If you’re further afield you can order them from BeersofEurope.co.uk and have them sent straight to your door.”

Josh, 32, who is now based in Newark having previously lived in Martlesham, Capel and Needham, is too young to remember Beattie’s playing days personally and says he was encouraged to produce the 4% pale ale by his fellow supporters.

“It was working with fans, I spoke to them about it because it kept being mentioned, ‘You need to make a beer for the Beat’, everyone said I needed to, he’s a hero of the club and here we are with it now.

“I hope everyone’s enjoying it, I hope it puts a smile on people’s faces. I’ve got the products to market, which was always something on my bucket list, but now to be playing my small part in helping to raise money for this statue is great.

“In years to come when I’m old and wrinkled, I can look back and tell my grandkids that I helped put that statue up alongside everyone else. It’s being part of a community and I’m glad to be part of it.”

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 with more than £20,000 already having been donated along with gifts in kind worth around a similar figure. Announcements of major fundraising events will be made in the weeks to come.

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 and in the FanZone on matchdays.

You can find The Beat Goes On campaign website here.

Photos: TWTD

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