SUFFOLK: Your Evening Star today has three good reasons for festive cheer!

We’ve enjoyed a tremendous 125th Birthday this year – and our 12 months of celebration has now been capped by three great pieces of news in this week alone.

First boost came with news that our Have a Heart Campaign has won a crucial victory paving the way for an elective heart surgery unit at Ipswich Hospital.

Our fight goes on until full, 24/7, care is provided for east Suffolk.

Second triumph is the culmination of our Save the Blue Cross campaign – with revelations that a fabulous new home for this wonderful charity has been found between Ipswich and Felixstowe.

And our 12 months of celebration has just got even better after the newspaper and its website were shortlisted for four major awards.

In EDF’s East of England media awards, we are shortlisted for:

n Daily Newspaper of the Year.

n Community Campaign of the Year – Save the Blue Cross.

n Front Page of the Year – Ice Station Ipswich.

n Website of the Year – www.eveningstar.co.uk.

What a year for our title, which is going from strength to strength in both print and online.

n We’ve had a radio show devoted to us.

n We’ve had a crack InterCity loco named after us.

n We’ve enjoyed a moving Gala Luncheon.

n We’ve had a beer named after us.

n We have our ES 125 carol service to look forward to next week.

With sales breaking through last year’s figures, and our web and mobile audience booming, we have a lot to look forward to next year.

And we won’t forget our crusade for our Suffolk fire heroes, struggling against cutbacks in both Felixstowe and Ipswich.

Thanks to readers and advertisers for your part in our success story.

n If you want us to fight an injustice, write to me at: Nigel Pickover, Evening Star editor, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or you can send an e-mail to nigel.pickover@evening star.co.uk