The campaign for a statue of Ipswich Town’s greatest ever player, Kevin Beattie, has now reached around £19,000 in just six weeks.
Donations continue to pour in for the appeal, which will crowd-fund a statue of The Beat following his sudden death in September at the age of 64.
The target is to raise £110,000 for a statue in Portman Road.Suffolk sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn, who did the statues of both Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, will be commissioned for the project.
The East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star has launched the appeal – called The Beat Goes On – in conjunction with BBC Radio Suffolk and the TWTD website.
Brad Jones, editor of the EADT and Star, said: “There has been such a great response – thank you to everyone who has donated.
MORE: Donate to the appeal here“We still have a long way to go, but we’re determined and confident we’ll get there.”
The committee is planning some major events in the coming months – details of which will be released soon.
Meanwhile, a number other events have been scheduled.
There will be a night to remember The Beat at the Royal Hotel in Clacton on the evening of February 26, featuring Ipswich Town legends Paul Mariner, Eric Gates and Brian Talbot.
The evening will include a collection for the statue appeal.
Malcolm Thompson, organiser, said: “I became great friends with The Beat whom I used to watch from the terraces of Portman Road. We used to talk on the phone most Friday nights discussing the game the next day and much more.
“I’ve decided to say goodbye the way he would have wanted and that is with Town fans sharing laughter, tears, beers and talking football.”
The evening will also see a raffle and auction with some special prizes.
Tickets are £5 and include a souvenir programme. For details, contact Malcolm on 07743171773 or email him.
Meanwhile, on Friday March 15 at Somersham Village Hall, there is a fundraising quiz night with all proceeds going to the statue fund. Teams of four to six are welcome, costing £5 per person (including a jacket potato with choice of filling). There will be a licensed bar. Tickets will also be on sale at the Fanzone before home matches.
For details, email the organisers.
How you can donate to the appeal:
• Send cheques made payable to ‘The Beat Goes On’ to Kevin Beattie Statue Appeal, EADT, Portman House, 120 Princes Street, Ipswich, IP11RS
• Visit the crowdfunding page and make a donation online here
• Collection buckets at reception of both the EADT office and BBC Radio Suffolk.
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