It took a huge community effort over three years - but the Kevin Beattie statue has finally been unveiled. As well as fans, these are some of the people who made it happen.
THE STATUE PROJECT TEAM
- Terry Butcher, Ipswich Town and England legend
- Mark Calver, business owner MC Contracts
- Elizabeth Edwards, Director Ipswich Town plc and Partner, Ipswich Town Heritage Society
- Tim Edwards, Partner, Ipswich Town Heritage Society
- Steve Flory, Hudson Signs
- Duncan Foster, Ipswich businessman, associate director ITFC, friend of Beattie and custodian of The Beat’s memorabilia
- Phil Ham, editor TWTD website
- Emma Harvey, Kevin’s daughter
- Brad Jones, editor EADT
- Colin Kreidewolf, Ipswich Town Supporters’ Trust
- Mark Murphy, BBC Radio Suffolk
- Mick Parker, Parker Communications
- Mark Ramsay, Ipswich Town Supporters’ Club
MARK CALVER, MC CONTRACTS
Mark built the plinth and installed the paving for the statue - in kind. He had workers on the site for weeks, and the results speak for themselves. The plinth, paving and newly-installed fence provide the perfect backdrop for Sean Hedges-Quinn's statue.
He also organised, along with Mick Parker, a fundraising dinner at Greshams in Ipswich which raised nearly £20,00.
IPSWICH BOROUGH COUNCIL
Ipswich Borough Council played a crucial role in the statue project – providing the land, commissioning the work, and providing technical expertise to bring the plans together.
While funding came from the campaign, project officer Roly Arbon oversaw the development and ensured delivery of the project.
Operations manager Mark Whiting brought together the unveiling event.
EAST OF ENGLAND CO-OP
Roger Grosvenor, Joint Chief Executive, said: “We are proud to be honouring one of Ipswich Town’s best players of all time, Kevin Beattie, with a beautifully crafted plinth at Portman Road. The plinth has been carefully crafted from Port Stone by H L Perfitts, our master Stonemasons, and is in keeping with the other statues that you find in the Portman Road area.
“An inspiration to many, including future generations, Kevin Beattie is an enormously important figure in our region. We are delighted to be involved in marking his memory at the club where he achieved such phenomenal success.”
JP CHICK AND PARTNERS LIMITED
JP Chick and Partners Limited are consulting civil and structural engineers, established in 1988 by Jon Chick.
The firm’s Paul Davis and Luke Calver were brought in to design the unique plinth and steel frame inside it which supports the statue.
Paul said: "One of the main challenges was ensuring that the sleeves to receive the statue were placed at the right angle to accommodate the statue and ensuring no movement during the formation of the concrete plinth.
"To achieve this we elected to construct an internal steel frame which was modelled in 3D so that this could be accurately set in the workshop and tested prior to installation on site.
"Once this was confirmed the frame was secured in position to the concrete base and then reinforced concrete was cast to accept the finished stone. The frame and the reinforced concrete plinth had to be designed to allow for both eccentric and wind loading as a consequence the foundation was piled due to the poor ground conditions."
Paul added: "Having watched Ipswich Town for many years Kevin Beattie was a Titan in the team and fully deserves the recognition of this magnificent statue."
CB SKIP SERVICES
CB Skip Services are one-stop shop for steel waste container refurbishment and steel fabrication projects, offering a full range of services in-house in its bespoke workshop just outside Ipswich.
The firm was responsible for the fabrication of the steel structure within the plinth, on which the statue itself is attached, also transporting it to and from the foundry in London.
Owner Chris Blom said: "As soon as we were approached to be a part of this project, we were keen to be involved.
"It's been great for the local community and I've been proud that my team have been able to be a part of it.
"It was wonderful to see Ipswich networking together to build something that's going to be around for many years to come. There's been a real sense of community spirit."
IPSWICH TOWN
The Blues have supported the campaign, with former owner Marcus Evans donating nearly £6.500 to match fund a bucket collection outside the ground before the Sunderland match in August 2019.
The club has also donated items for auction and helped with the unveiling event on December 18.
ECLIPSE
This family-based firm in Ipswich provided the impressive staging, lighting and video screen for the unveiling event. It has over £1m of AV equipment and can deliver events up to 10,000 people.
The firm's Mick Parker, who has been on the statue campaign team and was friend of The Beat, worked on the unveiling ceremony to provide a spectacle for fans.
"I'm delighted to be part of the team that delivered the statue," he said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here