Cyrille Regis: What happened to plans for statue honouring the Three Degrees?
A statue of the Three Degrees planned to be installed in West Bromwich still requires £50,000 of funding, according to the sculptor.
The ‘celebration statue’, which depicts Cyrille Regis with Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson, has been delayed for several years due to financial problems.
It still lies on a foundry floor in London, where it has been for the past four years.
More background on the passing of the footballing great Cyrille Regis
Pick up a copy of today's Express & Star for an eight-page tribute to Cyrille Regis
The man behind the statue, Jim Cadman, assured the Express & Star last month that the statue, which will cost a total of £220,000, would be unveiled before the end of the season.
But sculptor Graham Ibbeson told the BBC that £50,000 is still needed to assemble the 7ft 6in figures.
Funding already spent on the project includes £30,000 from Sandwell Council, as well as contributions from Albion fans, the Professional Footballers Association, the FA, the League Managers Association, Kick It Out, the West Bromwich Albion Supporters Club and the WBA Former Players Association, as well as businessmen.
Hundreds of Baggies fans and special guests attended a fundraising night hosted by Baggies fan Frank Skinner at Birmingham Town Hall back in 2013.
Plans for the statue were launched six years ago.
The statue was originally due to be unveiled on July 15, 2014, to mark the 25th anniversary of Cunningham’s death at the age of 33 in a car crash in Spain.
Its exact location has not yet been confirmed, although it was originally earmarked for a position near the town’s New Square Shopping Centre.
