ONE of the newest landmarks in Ipswich is to be officially opened in a double ceremony tomorrow . New borough council headquarters Grafton House is being officially opened by mayor Henry Davies and the last captain of HMS Grafton, Commander Robert Bellfield.

By Paul Geater

ONE of the newest landmarks in Ipswich is to be officially opened in a double ceremony tomorrow .

New borough council headquarters Grafton House is being officially opened by mayor Henry Davies and the last captain of HMS Grafton, Commander Robert Bellfield.

Meanwhile on the edge of town a team from the borough is taking on a team from the contractors who built the new headquarters, RG Carter, in a charity football match to mark the completion of the project.

Money raised by the charity match will be donated to the Evening Star's Somebody's Daughter fund which is supported by the borough council.

Council leader Liz Harsant, said: "We are delighted to officially be opening Grafton House.

“It does not seem possible that only seven months ago our staff were working in dated and inefficient accommodation at Civic Centre. Staff are very pleased with their new working environment."

The match has been organised by the council's leisure department and their team will be captained by Billy Brennan.

He said: "It seemed appropriate to have two celebrations. Certainly, we will be doing our best to score goals, which were very rare in Ipswich until a few days ago, but in this case everyone's a winner."

The new council headquarters is now fully up and running. It was built for North West Estates who rent the building to the borough.

The company is still trying to find tenants for the retail and café units on the ground floor.

THE Evening Star is doing its bit to help vulnerable young people in Ipswich through it's Somebody's Daughter appeal.

It was launched to remember the victims of the red light district killings and thousands of pounds have already been pledged to the fund, running in conjunction with Ipswich Borough Council.

The proceeds will be used to help vulnerable young people in Ipswich.

Outline plans are underway to build a refuge in the town to try to break the cycle of drugs and prostitution.

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.