BATTLING teenager Pip Collins showed a great deal of courage by fighting back when a much larger and older man snatched her mobile phone.The 14-year-old from Claydon was not going to let her phone go without a battle and although she was not able to get the phone back, her attacker was left with battle scars to remind him of his cowardly attack.

BATTLING teenager Pip Collins showed a great deal of courage by fighting back when a much larger and older man snatched her mobile phone.

The 14-year-old from Claydon was not going to let her phone go without a battle and although she was not able to get the phone back, her attacker was left with battle scars to remind him of his cowardly attack.

However while everyone will admire the courage of the four foot eleven inch girl, everyone needs to be aware of the dangers that can face people who fight back against robbers.

Pip's attacker was armed with a knife. She was able to turn that on him - but anyone brandishing a knife is particularly dangerous and however good a mobile phone you have it is not worth risking injury or death for the sake of a lump of metal and plastic.

Having said that, if you feel confident about your ability to fight back there is no reason to meekly hand over your precious belongings at the merest hint that an attacker wants them.

There is nothing futile about resistance if you are confident that resistance will be successful.

On this occasion Pip showed herself to be brave and resourceful when confronted by a criminal thug.

She may not have held on to her phone, but she has earned the respect of her family and friends.

AMERICAN singer/songwriter James Taylor is today indebted to port workers in Felixstowe after his drum kit went missing en route to his British tour.

With the number of containers passing through the port every day, it is a real tribute to the efficiency of the staff and computer systems that they could easily identify where the container was before it had even arrived and then speed it through the port handling system and put it on the road to his concerts in Birmingham and Wolverhampton on a very tight schedule.

The efficiency of the staff at Felixstowe helped save the day for thousands of fans who had bought tickets to see James Taylor in concert.

When it comes to speeding his equipment, Mr Taylor now knows that in Felixstowe You've Got a Friend!

ACROSS the country millions of amateur punters are today preparing for the biggest horse race on the calendar.

The Grand National retains an unique place in the heart of the nation as dozens of horses gallop around the four and a half mile Aintree course.

The race is probably more popular with the general public than racing purists because it has always been something of a lottery.

With so many large fences and such a large field there are always a significant number of fallers on the way around.

But that's its attraction for many people - you can have a 50p bet on a rank outsider and there is always the chance it will outrun the rest of the field.

And everyone will be praying that this year all the horses survive the race and that none have to be destroyed after suffering serious injuries.