Rachel Clare had a real-life family tragedy she wanted to tell people about, and dreamed of writing a novel. Then a holiday in East Anglia provided the spark to make it happen.

Julie Hinton is in no doubt. “What my mum went through as a child was horrific. Horrific,” she says.

How can you help your local school triumph in our £10,000 LEGO® Education competition? All the details are here

‘I love writing strong women characters,’ says Essex novelist, back with her sixth book

Tributes to Ezra Leverett, the ‘face of Halesworth’

They were married for more than 72 years and died less than three weeks apart, in their 90s. ‘They really were an exceptional couple’

I cried with the Prime Minister when the end came, says civil servant Caroline Slocock. ‘I felt a tremendous empathy for her... It really touched my heart’

Celebrity crushes and a lunch date with Bradley ‘Josh Lyman’ Whitford

The Westbourne High School teacher also gave hundreds of youngsters a love of cricket

An award-winning couple who launched a Suffolk charity to help people with brain injuries have died less than three weeks apart. They were both in their 90s.

What a night! November, 1954, and dancer Sidonie Darrell is on stage with a galaxy of stars: Bob Hope and Noël Coward, Norman Wisdom, Max Bygraves, Joan Sims, Frankie Howerd and Peter Sellers.

Many celebrities have favoured The Aldeburgh Bookshop. The ‘trend’ was started by Benjamin Britten. Records show the last thing he bought was probably a diary. Sadly, he probably never used it: the composer died weeks before New Year.

‘With a hiss and a pfizz it shot off like a rat up a drainpipe...’ Do you recall the sights and sounds in ‘Ipswich: Memories of a Special Town’?

I liked Woolworths spearmint chews, its leaping salmon, and a furry pink gonk. (Sad, isn’t it?)

Exit Day is the edgy new tale from Lavenham writer David Laws, who says ‘if you have a theory on Brexit, I bet you won’t have thought of this one’

Marlene Lever worked at Sudbury’s North Street Woolies for 27 years. Then the company collapsed. When Marlene went, she took her locker with her...

Well-known ex-RAF character from family business E.R. & R.T. Rackham Ltd dies at 94. Loved Ipswich Town, Frank Sinatra songs and a flutter on the horses

Charlotte Smith-Jarvis wrote recently about her favourite childhood treats: chocolate ‘cigarettes’. (Very un-PC now!) It reminded Steven Russell of when one of our local towns enjoyed sweet dreams. Here’s a Refresher course…

Coming to Suffolk are Lord Owen, ex-Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Posy Simmonds, Penelope Lively, Diarmaid MacCulloch and more

One minute you’re curled up, savouring the latest Agatha Christie mystery. The next, 50 years have passed in a flash. Still, looking back at books of yesteryear does raise happy memories

Grab those book tokens you got for Christmas and head off to your local bookshop to pick up some great ‘reads’ for the New Year

If not, might be best to stop after the 2020 series and simply cherish the good memories

They were bootmakers, farmers, railway clerks... Then war came − and teacher Alfred made sure they weren’t forgotten

Writer Joe Neal on the lost treasures of Colchester, saving newts from the bulldozers and why ‘if you don’t love enough, you’ll always regret it’. Oh - and why Brexit’s crucial

‘Scary’ military no-go areas such as Bawdsey and Orfordness really sparked the imagination of Julia Jones

Just one of many quirky tales in Robert Simper’s new ‘history of Woodbridge’ book

Story of Scrooge, ghosts and Tiny Tim is 175 years old − and still incredibly powerful

Can you remember what you were watching on Christmas Day years ago? Remember when we had only three channels?

And while you’re about it, do please help us find The Best Doctor Who Alien Ever. Cast your votes here

Ideas to make our Christmas tree branches even more brilliant