Ipswich Town: Kevin Beattie statue prototype revealed

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.

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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".

Kevin Beattie, known for his ability in the air, is captured leaping for the ball in the maquette by Sean Hedges-Quinn

Photos of "The Beat" have been close at hand while Sean Hughes-Quinn worked on the maquette

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.