STAFF at Sainsbury’s cycled 250 miles for charity this week – but never left their store.

Workers at the Warren Heath superstore took turns to pedal on exercise bikes to raise cash for Guide Dogs

Members of the East and Mid Suffolk fundraising group gave their backing to the event, sending along a full support team – including Ipswich Star guide dog puppy Diamond, enjoying her first official outing.

Diamond also went along to Otley College with her puppy walker Penny Parker to collect £181 from collection boxes placed around the campus.

A couple furious at a 12% beach hut rent rise are preparing to hack more than a foot off their holiday haven to save money. Barbara Grace and her partner Alan Sarfas are going to saw 18 inches off their hut to avoid the rate hikes on larger huts.

A total of £18,000 was raised by the Crane Building Services & Utilities, which was split between three charities – Shooting Stars at Ipswich Academy, the Somersham Ward Support Group at Ipswich Hospital and the Braintree, Halstead and Witham Citizens Advice Bureau.

A group of eight students have helped to build a new habitat for a species of common lizard on the site of their new school. The Ipswich Academy students visited the Braziers Wood Road site for a talk from senior ecologist Richard Kilshaw before starting work on the habitat.

Residents at a town care home put on brilliant panto performance with help from staff. Park View Care Home in Chantry Close held its first pantomime since opening in May 2012.

Resident Vicky Hobden made the costumes, aided by her sister Susan. Vicky also played the part of the fairy godmother in the show. She was joined by enthusiastic staff members, who gave up their day off to perform, and a relative of another resident, Gordon, who stepped into the role of Dandini.

Mystery surrounded the death of a young porpoise found washed ashore on a beach at Old Felixstowe this week. The 4ft-long creature was found by walkers on the shore at The Dip – and was reported to have been seen alive in the water shortly before.

A fund-raising school has donated more than £6,000 to a charity which helps save women’s lives. Ipswich High School for Girls presented a cheque for £6,374 to the Eve Appeal East Anglia, which raises funds and awareness of the five gynaecological cancers.

A campaign to get a community involved in a library which is facing budget cuts has been boosted after 40 people came forward and said they would back it. Frances Law, Stowmarket Library manager, is looking to start a committee called Friends of Stowmarket which will raise funds. An open day showcased the services and activities the library runs including craft, children’s nursery rhymes and games sessions.

Former middle distance runner and world-record holder Steve Cram, 52, visited Ipswich this week and spoke at University Campus Suffolk. He was in town to call for more money to be pumped into sport to reduce the strain on the NHS.