WE are nearly halfway there!The race is on now to reach our £20,000 target for the Evening Star's Christmas appeal, to Save A Life.Money raised will go to the Suffolk Accident Rescue Service to help buy vital communications equipment for the 56 doctors in the county who give up their own time day and night to save the lives of accident victims.

By Jessica Nicholls

WE are nearly half way there!

The race is on now to reach our £20,000 target for The Evening Star's Christmas appeal, to Save a Life.

Money raised will go to the Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (Sars), to help buy vital communications equipment for the 56 doctors in the county who give up their own time day and night to save the lives of accident victims.

Last month we reported we had raised almost £9,000 in just six weeks since the appeal started.

And generous shoppers in Ipswich have helped boost that by an extra £544 by donating their spare change into boxes around the Evening Star Christmas tree on the Cornhill.

But the generosity does not stop there. The Co-op's special community dividend number 977 is still in operation in Ipswich stores. By quoting 977 when paying for their goods the whole of that share dividend will go straight to the Save a Life appeal.

Readers, businesses and organisations in the county have really helped get the appeal off the ground with their donations.

British Gas has donated £2,000, a Foxhall Stadium Spedeworth gala night raised another £2,000 for the appeal and the Ipswich and Norwich Co-operative society also made a donation of £1,000.

A pledge of £3,000 from the Rudolph Tour organised by the Ipswich Round Table before Christmas came as a welcome boost. Readers have also sent in donations totalling more than £600 and the Evening Star Carol Service raised around £500.

The money will go towards buying new equipment such as satellite navigation equipment and tracking equipment to help doctors get to the scene of a crash as quickly as possible to give life-saving treatment.

Known as the golden hour, the first 60 minutes of treatment to a crash victim are the most vital. To have doctors on the scene is a major help. With equipment such as radios and mobile phone pagers Sars doctors can work much more effectively.

Sars doctors have saved so many lives in the county – one day it might be yours.

n To give a donation to the Save a Life appeal send cheques to Geraldine Thompson, Editors Secretary, Evening Star, 3O Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN.

Or let us know of any events arranged to raise money for the Sars by calling the Star's newsdesk on 01473 324788,

e-mailing: starnews@eveningstar.co.uk or faxing 01473 324850

n See page 24 for more on Sars' vital work.