AN appeal supporting vulnerable youngsters ensnared in the lethal world of prostitution and drugs has received a significant boost thanks to the generosity of Suffolk's small business community.
AN appeal supporting vulnerable youngsters ensnared in the lethal world of prostitution and drugs has received a significant boost thanks to the generosity of Suffolk's small business community.
The Ipswich and Suffolk Small Business Association (ISSBA) staged a pair of events in aid of the Somebody's Daughter memorial fund, raising an impressive £815 for the cause.
The cash will be added to the fund pot which will eventually pay for a refuge in Ipswich for those caught in the grip of vice and substance addiction.
Organiser Vivienne Mauder said: “Choosing the Somebody's Daughter appeal was a unanimous decision.
“There were other charities, but this is such a strong local appeal that it was the obvious choice this year.”
ISSBA held a raffle at its trade exhibition and also appealed for donations at a speed networking event staged earlier this year.
The Somebody's Daughter appeal was launched in conjunction with Ipswich Borough Council in the wake of the killings of five women in Suffolk.
The bodies of Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Annette Nicholls and Paula Clennell were found in remote rural locations last December. All had worked in the sex trade and all had drug habits.
As a legacy to the five women, and in a bid to prevent others from walking in their same desperate footsteps, The Somebody's Daughter appeal was given a mandate of helping vulnerable young people in Ipswich.
Among the trustees of the Somebody's Daughter appeal, a registered charity, are Ipswich Town chairman David Sheepshanks and borough council leader Liz Harsant.
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.
What are you doing to help the appeal? Contact reporter Josh Warwick on 01473 324840 or e-mail him at josh.warwick@eveningstar.co.uk
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