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Ipswich Town: Kevin Beattie statue prototype revealed

BBC Maquette of Kevin Beattie statueBBC
Photos of "The Beat" have been close at hand while Sean Hughes-Quinn worked on the maquette

A miniature model of a bronze statue of Ipswich Town and England footballer Kevin Beattie has been revealed.

The central defender, voted Ipswich's greatest-ever player, died from a heart attack a year ago, aged 64.

The Beat, as he was affectionately known, was famed for his headers and sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn has captured him in his trademark mid-air pose.

Last week, a fundraising appeal for the statue reached its £110,000 target, just eight months after its launch.

Finer details of the design are clearly visible on the prototype, known as a maquette, including the Ipswich Town badge, the ripples and folds in his team kit, Beattie's moustache and his clenched fists.

Mr Hedges-Quinn said he wanted to "capture the very essence of the Beat" and having a standard football pose was "never going to be an option".

Sarah Lucy Brown/Archant Sean Hedges-Quinn in his studioSarah Lucy Brown/Archant
Kevin Beattie, known for his ability in the air, is captured leaping for the ball in the maquette by Sean Hedges-Quinn
Maquette of Kevin Beattie statue
Photos of "The Beat" have been close at hand while Sean Hughes-Quinn worked on the maquette
Sean Hedges-Quinn The design of the statue in honour of Kevin BeattieSean Hedges-Quinn
The statue will appear to be leaping from its plinth outside Portman Road

It will be used in the making of the full-scale bronze statue to be positioned outside Ipswich's Portman Road stadium - near the sculptor's existing statues of Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, who both managed Ipswich and England.

A campaign, called The Beat Goes On, was launched at the end of 2018 by BBC Radio Suffolk, where Beattie was a regular on-air contributor, in conjunction with local newspapers and the TWTD website.

The aim is for the sculpture to be unveiled in Spring 2020.