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Fans Offered Chance to Have Name on Beattie Statue Plinth
Friday, 1st Oct 2021 06:00

Town fans are being offered the chance for their name to be one of 20 inscribed on the plinth of the soon-to-be-unveiled statue of Blues legend Kevin Beattie to raise additional funds to complete the project.

For a £500 donation, a supporter will have their name etched forever on the plinth of the statue of the man often voted the club's greatest ever player, which will be unveiled in Portman Road before Christmas.

The names will be listed in a section on the back of the plinth. This will thank all Ipswich Town fans for raising money for the statue - but gives special thanks to the 20 who have made the £500 pledge.

The Beat Goes On statue appeal - a joint initiative between the EADT/Ipswich Star, BBC Radio Suffolk and TWTD - was launched in December 2018 with £110,000 raised in eight months, while MC Contracts and Ridgeons agreed to provide the plinth.

Brad Jones, editor of the EADT and chair of the campaign committee, said: “Town fans have been so generous since day one. This project has been driven by them.

“We raised the initial fundraising target after eight months. Then Covid hit, delayed the project which saw some costs rise and we faced unexpected complications around the plinth - which now require us to raise a little more to see the project over the line.

“The project team felt this was the best way to do it - and give 20 fans a really unique opportunity.”

Those interested will need to act fast - the closing date is Monday 11th October. Supporters can email brad.jones@archant.co.uk for more details.

Meanwhile, there are also now just four of the extremely limited edition miniatures of the statue, all handmade by sculptor and Blues season ticket holder Sean Hedges-Quinn, still available.

The maquettes are cast in bronze resin and mounted on a beautiful engraved plinth, and are available for £1,200. Only 40 have been made with just four remaining unsold. All proceeds from the sales will go towards the final fundraising.

The maquettes, which come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Emma Beattie, the former Town and England central defenders daugher, Sean Hedges-Quinn and Blues legend Terry Butcher, can be purchased here.


Photos: TWTD/Archant



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Northstandveteran added 08:13 - Oct 1
Hmmmm.

Not so sure about this plan.

I find it a little crass to be honest.

Surely this is a memorial, a show of respect to our greatest ever player and only about Kevin Beattie?

Thousands of town fans of differing incomes and financial circumstances have pulled together and donated what they could afford, so surely this should be attributed to all Ipswich supporters not just the few wealthy enough to make a large donation at the final hurdle?

Wouldn't an inscription acknowledging that all town fans made this possible through their love of the Beat?

Just my early morning thoughts, I just think it a bit wrong that only 20 names should be mentioned ( if at all ) when this was a coming together of the community of the Ipswich town fans 'family'.
6

trncbluearmy added 09:12 - Oct 1
Northstandveteran

Thank you, my thoughts exactly,

club should re think this
horrendous idea
1

ghostofescobar added 09:20 - Oct 1
Doesn't strike me as a brilliant idea. The main issue for me is that only quite "well off" fans can afford this. I'd rather find another way of raising the £10k and either not inscribe any additional names (can't help thinking this will detract from the aesthetic of the statue??), or inscribe names of those that helped The Beat - coaches, managers, tea ladies, secretaries, friends, charities etc. Couldn't the club put a voluntary extra £1 on ticket fees for a couple of home matches? I'm sure this would get the fund over the line. Tricky one this and I accept I may be missing the point.
3

Europablue added 09:22 - Oct 1
I don't get football finance. The club can find the money to fund all sorts of nonsense and overinflated wages, but somehow it is difficult to find a spare 10 grand.
I appreciate the value of fundraising from fans to make them feel part of it, but surely someone involved with the club could spare the rest of the money, even a whip round of the current first team could complete the funding without having to sell naming rights to the statue.
3

BLUEBEAT added 09:25 - Oct 1
bad taste
3

slade1 added 09:27 - Oct 1
Not a good idea.
This 'cheapens' the whole idea of a statue to celebrate The Beat.
3

se20blue added 09:34 - Oct 1
This needs to be re -thought,the statue was made possible by donations from all Ipswich Town fans not just the elite/wealthy twenty
3

herfie added 09:48 - Oct 1
No! Thoroughly bad idea, bad taste, crass judgement. Recognise the need to preserve the integrity of what prompted the original idea, and do not dilute or detract from it by seeking to make additional money from a spurious and devisive scheme.
2

Paulc added 10:05 - Oct 1
I thought I was being a miserable old git with my thoughts on this. I agree completely with what has been said here. I wish I had a spare £10k (sadly I don't) I'd have happily paid it to have no names on the statue other than Kevin's.
2

trncbluearmy added 10:15 - Oct 1
Email sent to
brad.jones@archant.co.uk

anyone who feels this idea is crass may like to do the same
-1

TractorRoyNo1 added 10:21 - Oct 1
Brad Jones might well say, don't bring me your problems, bring me your solutions. I think £1 donation into buckets at the turnstiles would do it, especially if the reason is well promoted.
-1

trncbluearmy added 10:24 - Oct 1
Tratorroyno1 so who else to complain to?

don`t be a smartarse, this is to important an issue
-1

Dissboyitfc added 11:12 - Oct 1
Not a great idea IMO, I mean how can it be right that someone who can afford it gets a lifetime connection on the statue , yet may never have even seen him play, rethink on this! Also others have put massive efforts into this and will remain anonymous.
3

itfctim added 12:11 - Oct 1
Agree with alot of the above. Just wrong, on so many levels. Everyone who donated did what they could, some could do nothing, which doesn't make them lesser people, or lesser supporters. The Beat was/is a club legend, and this just makes the whole project elitist. I'm pretty sure it goes against the principles of the Man himself, too. The funding of this project was an ITFC community effort. For me, there should be one name only on that statue, Kevin Beattie!
4


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