YOUR Evening Star was today named Britain's Community Newspaper of the Year - thanks to its dogged campaigning for readers.

YOUR Evening Star was today named Britain's Community Newspaper of the Year - thanks to its dogged campaigning for readers.

The accolade was bestowed at the Newspaper Society's glittering Circulation and Editorial Awards where the Star was also highly commended as Regional Newspaper of the Year.

Judges at the event, held at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, highlighted the Star's campaign to support vulnerable young women on the streets of Ipswich as outstanding. The awards take in morning and evening newspapers from across the country.

Our Somebody's Daughter crusade was launched in December after five young women, victims of hard drugs and propelled into prostitution to pay for their habit, were taken from the streets and killed.

In conjunction with Ipswich Borough Council, the Star is fighting to provide a refuge to break the cycle which links hard drug usage to the street sex trade.

Judges said: “We were impressed by the way the Star handled a huge story that dominated the national press. It was excellently handled while at the same time the newspaper kept to its roots.

“The Star succeeded in galvanising the community at a time of huge concern for the safety of women in the area.”

Today the campaign is being further stepped up, in conjunction with Suffolk Police, as we pledge to name and shame kerb crawlers who are blighting our community.

Evening Star editor Nigel Pickover said: “This is a huge reward for our readers as well as for our newspaper. We have a unique partnership - an invaluable loyalty to, and from, our readers and our pledge is to fight for Ipswich, Felixstowe and wider Suffolk as never before.

“The Community Newspaper of the Year title is the best honour of all. It means you are recognised for your close affinity with readers. I'm delighted for the hard working staff at the Star, in all departments, who work so hard in fighting for our causes.”