Pig statue tribute to Ed Sheeran for Ipswich Pigs Gone Wild

Happy as a pig in Ipswich - Ed Sheeran is to be honoured with a statue, similar to the one on the right

A pig-shaped statue of Ed Sheeran is to be created as part of an art trail in Ipswich.

The singer/songwriter honed his skills in the town, having grown up 20 miles away in Framlingham, before going on to be a global superstar.

The porcine tribute will be one of about 40 sculptures scattered around Ipswich this summer as part of the Pigs Gone Wild trail in the summer.

The design for the pig, titled Ed Sheer Ham, has yet to be revealed.

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Art trails have become popular over recent years, with a collection of gorillas appearing in Norwich, and 81 models of Gromit installed in Bristol.

Project manager Norman Lloyd has so far unveiled two of the finished designs for the pigs

Ed Sheeran performed numerous gigs in Ipswich before becoming a global superstar

The Ipswich campaign is in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice, which will benefit from money raised from an auction of the pigs at the end of the event.

Sheeran, who was supported by BBC Introducing in Suffolk during the early part of his career, has continued to have strong ties to the county.

In 2013, a stage at Ipswich Music Day, where he performed twice, was named after him, and last year the 24-year-old was awarded an honorary degree from University Campus Suffolk.

Having toured the world on the back of his second album, X, Sheeran is currently taking a break from the limelight.