AN annual carol service will this year concentrate on raising money for the Somebody's Daughter Memorial Fund.

AN annual carol service will this year concentrate on raising money for the Somebody's Daughter Memorial Fund.

The Ipswich Borough Council event will be staged at Grafton House in Russell Road on Monday from 1pm.

Members of the public and employees of town centre businesses are invited to the concert, which will also be attended by Ipswich mayor Inga Lockington.

A borough council spokesman said: “It is important to bring events like carol services into people's work places and is part of the Christmas tradition.

“There is no church in this part of Ipswich Village so we hope we will be supported by our near neighbours.”

A collection during the course of the event will raise funds for Somebody's Daughter appeal, which was launched by The Evening Star and the borough council nearly a year ago following the deaths of five women in Ipswich.

The bodies of Gemma Adams, Annette Nicholls, Anneli Alderton, Tania Nicol and Paula Clennell were found in isolated spots skirting the town before Christmas last year.

With the help of the families affected, our aim is to create a lasting legacy to those who have lost their lives by helping vulnerable young people in Ipswich.

The aim is to establish a safe house and rehabilitation centre in the town for young women who have developed drug habits or are sex workers and who want to find a way out.

Donations to the memorial fund can be made online at www.eveningstar.co.uk, in person at Ipswich Borough Council's customer service centre in the Town Hall, by calling 01473 433777, or by sending a cheque, made payable to Somebody's Daughter Memorial Fund, to PO Box 772, Ipswich Borough Council, Grafton House, 15-17 Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2DE.