Bury St Edmunds could get new statue of Suffolk's Roy Hudd

Roy Hudd lived in Suffolk for decades before his death in March 2020. Because he died just days before the first Covid lockdown was imposed it was impossible to remember him with a memorial service at the time.

Now his widow Debbie is hoping to get a statue of him installed outside the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds.

It will be made by local sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn who created the Portman Road statues of Sir Alf Ramsey, Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Beattie.

Sean Hedges-Quinn will make the statue of Roy Hudd. He also made the Captain Mainwaring seat in Thetford. (Image: Ian Burt)

The statue will have Roy sitting on a bench - similar to the sculpture of Captain Mainwaring on a bench in Thetford which was also created by Mr Hedges-Quinn.

He said: "I met Roy when he unveiled a statue I had made of the singer Gracie Fields in Rochdale.

"He was really nice - and it was great to have a chat with him - it will be a real honour to make the statue."

The cost of the statue will be about £100,000 and fundraising has already started.

A big step will come when cast members of his best-known production, BBC radio's The News Huddlines, will reunite at the Sondheim Theatre in London in May for a charity show to raise funds for the statue.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Roy's widow Debbie said: "I booked the memorial service three times and had to cancel it three times because of Covid, but that also gave me time to think should I put my energies into something else - rather than just one day a memorial, why not something which will be there for many, many years.

"A statue of Roy outside the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, Roy sitting on a bench. You can sit with him and have a natter and an ice cream.

"Roy did many shows there and we put a show together for the theatre's 200th birthday. We have that connection there."