Fund gets Rod Stewart gig boost

FANS of legendary rocker Rod Stewart will be asked to dig deep to support an appeal launched in memory of the victims of the Ipswich red-light killings.

Licensing bosses at Ipswich Borough Council have granted permission for an Evening Star team to collect for the Somebody's Daughter fund prior to the gig on July 3.

There will be 12 collectors, based around the stadium and on the practice pitch, who will be rattling their buckets up until Stewart takes to the stage at around 8pm.

Star editor Nigel Pickover urged concert-goers to make a donation.

He said: “Somebody's Daughter is such an important cause. I hope those heading to the concert will find a moment to drop a few coins into a collecting bucket.

“Your generosity can make a real difference.”

The Somebody's Daughter fund was launched in conjunction with the borough council after the bodies of Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Annette Nicholls and Paula Clennell were found in rural locations on the outskirts of Ipswich in December.

All five had worked in the sex trade to feed drug habits.

As a legacy to the five women, and in a bid to prevent others from walking in the same desperate footsteps, the Somebody's Daughter appeal was given a mandate of helping vulnerable young people in Ipswich.

The ultimate goal is to raise enough money to open a refuge where those embroiled in prostitution and drugs can seek support and guidance.

Among the trustees of the Somebody's Daughter appeal, a registered charity, are Ipswich Town chairman David Sheepshanks, borough council leader Liz Harsant and Evening Star editor Nigel Pickover.

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.