FOR generations guide dogs have been the eyes for blind people, helping them to enjoy an independent life and become friends as well a vital tool.So we are delighted today to take on the training of a puppy who is set to become one of the next generation of guide dogs.

FOR generations guide dogs have been the eyes for blind people, helping them to enjoy an independent life and become friends as well a vital tool.

So we are delighted today to take on the training of a puppy who is set to become one of the next generation of guide dogs.

Star should become a familiar face in and around Ipswich and in the pages of this newspaper as her training continues.

But before she can take on her life's work, she needs to be trained - and that is very expensive . . . and it is where you can make a huge difference.

Thanks to the generosity of the East of England Co-op, our appeal has already got off to a flying start - but there is still a very long way to go.

We need to raise a total of £10,000 to allow Star to really shine in her job.

Evening Star readers have always responded magnificently to our appeals in the past, and we are confident you will respond in a similar way once again.

We may be in the grip of the tightest economic crisis for years, but we remain confident that our readers will come up trumps and find a place for Star in their hearts during the run-up to Christmas.

And when her training is complete, Star will become a hugely welcome companion for a blind person.

ANOTHER Monday, another momentous day on the world's money markets.

The weekend negotiations over the fate of Wall Street loans and British banking giants may seem esoteric to many people here - unless you have a mortgage or job with the Bradford and Bingley - but in fact they are vital to the whole economy.

The state of the stock exchange is vital to anyone with a pension, with an endowment mortgage, or with savings invested in ISA savings schemes.

In an even wider sense the state of the stock market is vital to the economy as a whole - the Wall Street Crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression after confidence in the banks was shaken.

So it was vital for the American government to try to inject confidence into that country's banking system, even if the idea of propping up the financiers who got us into this mess in the first place does leave a sour taste in the mouth.

What is needed is an assurance from governments across the world that regulations will be put in place to ensure this kind of situation is never allowed to happen again.

IPSWICH Town's poor performance on Saturday has left the team in 16th place in the Championship with just nine points out of a possible 24.

And now there is real pressure on manager Jim Magilton who was given millions to spend during the summer by owner Marcus Evans.

He has assembled one of the largest squads in the division - but fans are now really asking whether he has any idea what his best team is, or how to make the players gel together.

Tinkering with a team is all very well if your squad is packed with internationals and you have the pressures of European games, but in the Championship there are clear benefits from having a settled team where players understand their team-mates.

If Magilton wants to persuade the fans that he DOES know what he's doing, they need to know that he knows what his best team is.