MILLIONS of people across the country are today gearing up to raise tens of millions of pounds for youngsters in the annual Children In Need telethon.Over the last quarter century this has become a regular pre-Christmas event on the BBC, and it is an event we are delighted to support.

MILLIONS of people across the country are today gearing up to raise tens of millions of pounds for youngsters in the annual Children In Need telethon.

Over the last quarter century this has become a regular pre-Christmas event on the BBC, and it is an event we are delighted to support.

Today The Evening Star is donating 2p from the sale of every paper to the appeal - and this offer has been matched by Ipswich businessman Graeme Kalbraier.

That should result in many hundreds of pounds being given to the appeal by Evening Star readers.

All over the country people have done - or are doing - daft things to help boost the appeal. No one has been dafter than Radio Suffolk presenter Mark Murphy who left his seat in the North Stand at Portman Road on Saturday to parade around the pitch at half-time . . . in full Norwich kit!

It is this kind of good-hearted fund-raising that has made the Children In Need appeal so special.

Everyone will hoping that a Children In Need tradition is maintained tonight - and another record sum is raised.

NEWS that the county council is set to have another look at a northern by-pass for Ipswich will please some motorists - but cause dismay for many other residents.

Back in the early 1990s the option of a new road was extensively researched - but it was found to be too expensive and it was recognised that it would cause immense damage to one of the most attractive rural areas on edge of Ipswich.

At the time it was vigorously opposed by the Conservative opposition on the county council.

Now the Conservatives are back in control at the county, their transport spokesman has signalled a possible u-turn on the construction of a road.

However his comments show that the council would look to the government to provide money for any new road there - and given the constraints on road spending that does not look likely in the near future.

So while the county has not shut the door completely on the idea of the road as it did in the early 1990s, there is still a long way to go before this road can ever be built.

And given that there have been towns and villages in Suffolk waiting for by-passes since before the Second World War, there is no immediate reason to fear for the future of the Fynn Valley.

ENGLAND fans will all be cheering for Israeli tomorrow as that team holds the only realistic hope for Steve McLaren's team to progress to the Euro 08 finals in Austria and Switzerland.

That is a big ask. Israel may have held England to a goalless draw in Tel Aviv - but at that time the Israelis were still in with a chance of qualifying themselves.

Now they have nothing to play for but their country's pride - and Russia will be determined to get a result which can take them nine tenths of the way to Vienna.

Meanwhile England play a meaningless friendly in the Austrian capital tonight which will do little more than give David Beckham the opportunity to show whether he still has a role in the national team.