£38k needed to complete Regis tribute
THE perfect tribute to Cyrille Regis is already close to completion and could be on display in West Bromwich within two months — if another £38,000 can be raised. The Celebration statue has been designed to honour Regis, Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson, three black players who came together at the Hawthorns in 1978 and thrived at the heart of an iconic Albion team. Fans have raised nearly £200,000 in the past five years and sculptor Graham Ibbeson has worked without pay, but funding problems have delayed completion of the 10ft bronze. Regis, who died after a heart attack on Sunday aged 59, hoped to see the statue unveiled this year, the 25th anniversary of the Kick It Out anti-racism campaign. ‘We need to have this tribute in place to represent the fight against racism in football which was led by Cyrille, Laurie and Brendon,’ said Jim Cadman, the businessman behind the project. ‘The sad news about Cyrille has shaken everyone and reminded them what a wonderful human being he was. He was passionate about this project, not because of vanity but because he knew it would be a staging post.’ The Regis family yesterday used Cyrille’s Twitter account to offer thanks for the support they have received since his death. They said: ‘Every comment & tribute is so precious to us & we will be sure to read every one of them.’
Anyone wishing to contribute towards the statue should contact Jim Cadman via email at: jwc@celebrationstatue1979.com