WE’VE DONE IT!

Ruth Wharrier makes the announcement at the Kirkley Centre in Lowestoft

On what would have been Benjamin Britten’s 111th birthday, we were excited to announce that we have reached our fundraising target. A bake sale took place at The Kirkley Centre, close to Britten’s birthplace, attended by members of East Suffolk Council, Lowestoft Town Council and the Kirkley People’s Forum. It was a fitting place to make the announcement as it was at the Kirkley Centre that we first consulted the local community about the idea for the statue.

Members of East Suffolk Council, Lowestoft Town Council and Kirkley People’s Forum come together to celebrate the exciting news at a bake sale for Britten’s birthday at Lowestoft’s Kirkley Centre

At the other side of the country, Zeb Soanes visited our sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley at his studio in Gloucestershire to see progress on the statue and share the exciting news with the world.

Zeb Soanes makes the announcement from our sculptor’s studio in Gloucestershire

NEXT STEPS

East Suffolk Council are preparing their exciting plans to develop the statue site which we look forward to sharing with you very soon. Our sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley expects to have finished the statue by the end of May. It will then make its journey from the foundry in Gloucestershire to Lowestoft for installation and the grand unveiling next year. 

We will keep you posted all the way.

Any additional funds raised will be used to develop the statue site with attractive landscaping, information boards and provide towards the statue’s upkeep, when needed. Further donations will also enable us to keep this Britten as a Boy website running as a source of information and free educational resources about the young composer’s childhood in Lowestoft.