MPs, business leaders and rail operators were at Ely railway station this morning to celebrate a small, but potentially significant, step forward in the long campaign to improve the Ely North Junction. 

The main business organisations for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (including the Greater Cambridge/Greater Peterborough LEP, external and the New Anglia LEP, external ) along with rail freight operators, have put up a total of £8.8m to fund a technical and feasibility study. 

Their hope is that the privately-funded initiative will speed up the project and make it more likely to go ahead when Network Rail draws up its new budget for 2019. 

A Comic Relief Day picture taken by BBC Radio Norfolk sports editor Chris Goreham shows that a red nose has appeared on one of the lions that guard Norwich City Hall.

As a mark of respect to those killed and injured in the Westminster terror attack, Norwich's City Hall will be lit up from this evening.

Every night until Monday it'll be illuminated red, white and blue - as our picture shows.

North Norfolk Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb, who was in the House of Commons, said being caught up in the melee that followed the attack was frightening.

Chris Goreham
BBC Radio Norfolk sport

Away from his Red Nose Day recreation of his infamous Strictly Come Dancing Gangnam Style interpretation....

Norwich City chairman Ed Balls has confirmed that caretaker manager Alan Irvine will be in charge when the Canaries play Aston Villa next weekend. 

Irvine has been looking after the team since Alex Neil was sacked a fortnight ago . 

The club wants to appoint a new sporting director before choosing a head coach.  

It's believed that Huddersfield Town's Stuart Webber is in line to take the sporting director post.

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Balls said: "We're a long way down the track. There's a lot of speculation which I'm not going to comment on, but we are close to getting this [sporting director] announced. 

"Alan Irvine is definitely in charge for the Villa game [ Saturday, 1 April ]." 

Dave Wade
BBC Local Live

East Midlands Trains say, external there's been a failure of the electricity supply at the Doncaster signal box, which is causing problems:

• Trains are unable to run between Doncaster and Lincoln Central on the Doncaster-Peterborough route
• No service between Lincoln and Newark Northgate on the Grimsby/Lincoln-Leicester route
• Trains on the Norwich/Nottingham/Liverpool line are being diverted and won't stop at Grantham
• Nottingham/Grantham/Skegness trains won't stop at Grantham either

Nikki Fox
BBC Look East

The leader of the UK Independence Party on Norfolk County Council resigned last night. 

Party sources said Toby Coke stood down following an internal party row. He was a leading member of the so-called "rainbow alliance", which ran the council for four years when no single party had a majority.

"It's rather shocking that Toby has stood down, he has achieved great things for the UKIP group at County Hall - Norfolk really does owe him a great debt," party colleague on the council Jonathon Childs said. 

"He worked tirelessly to halt the incinerator at King's Lynn and made huge inroads in addressing the democratic deficit by replacing the cabinet system with a much fairer committee system of governance.

"His Churchillian tones will be missed from the council chamber - it must be remembered that he was not a man to be trifled with when it came to a debate." 

Nick Conrad
BBC Radio Norfolk

Norwich City chairman Ed Balls will reprise his Gangnam Style dance for Red Nose Day on television tonight.

He shocked the audience and viewers at home with his original performance on Strictly Come Dancing last year.

It was so popular he toured the country with the Strictly stage show and the dance was a special favourite.

The Comic Relief Red Nose Day extravaganza is on BBC1 from 19:00 tonight.

The shellfish industry in The Wash is unlikely to see big changes when Britain leaves the European Union, according to the chief officer of the Eastern Inshore Fishing and Conservation Authority, external . 

Negotiations on the future of the Common Fisheries Policy will be part of the Brexit process. 

The IFCA chief officer Julian Gregory says the situation won't be clear until they're complete.

The rules and restrictions which regulate fisheries off the Norfolk coast will not be scrapped as soon as Britain leaves the EU. 

Fishery protection vessels will continue to make sure that stocks are not over-fished, but kept at a level which enables the fleet to make a living from the sea, he said.

Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport

Mendham's Peter Wright embraced the spirit of Comic Relief ahead of last night's Premier League, external game against Phil Taylor in Manchester.

Image source, Getty Images

For those of you unaware of Wright's flamboyant style, the hair and trousers were nothing out of the ordinary.

Sadly for him Taylor had the last laugh though, as he won 7-5.

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather

This morning will be cloudy and breezy, but dry. The cloud will gradually break up during the afternoon, so it will become sunny and mild later with a high of 12C (54F).

There are more details on the BBC Weather website .

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

Hello and thanks for joining us on Red Nose Day on Norfolk Live.

 It's Red Nose day and people around the county will be doing something ridiculous for money to boost charity projects! 

Radio Norfolk's early morning presenter Thordis Fridriksson has certainly got in to the mood with plenty of colour - although she admits her Red Nose is a bit of a pale white but that's all part of the fun!

But it could be more than that - an adventure perhaps for you. 

Aspiring rail enthusiasts can make a bid for a unique experience - Greater Anglia is auctioning the chance to be a train driver for the day. 

Elizabeth Rizzini's forecast follows shortly and she is promising sunshine and a warm day later.

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

That's all from the Norfolk Live team this Thursday... the day seems to have whizzed by.

Among the stories we've brought you have been news of a drug raid by police officers in Norwich, and the couple who missed yesterday's Westminster terror attack by seconds .

You can scroll down for more on these, plus our other news items.

Before we go, I'm sure you'll join us in wishing Francis Malin a happy birthday. Known as "Vi" to her friends and Auntie Nin to her family, she's been celebrating reaching the grand age of 111. 

This makes her the oldest person in Norfolk, and nephew Kevin says she's the fourth oldest person in the UK. 

Alex Dolan
BBC Look East weather

A chilly but bright end to the day with sunny spells across the BBC East region.  

It will turn a little cloudy from the east during the evening and overnight, but the breeze will keep temperatures a little higher, with lows in the west dropping to 3 or 4C (37-40F).

On Friday, any early cloud will clear to give brighter weather with sunny spells.  

Feeling warmer than today in many places, but still cooler on the coast in the north-easterly wind. 

Top temperature 12C (54F).

Wherever you live, you can get a full forecast from BBC Weather .

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

If you're wondering what the latest is on plans to dual the A47 in Cambridgeshire - nip over to the Haycock Hotel this evening. 

Highways England, external is putting all the plans on display until 20:00.

It's all part of a massive improvement programme for six sections of the 115-mile A47 between Peterborough and the east coast.

Among the proposals - dualling the 1.5-mile single carriageway between Wansford and Sutton - and improving the A47 junction at Guyhirn. 

If you're a regular motorist round there you know how congested they get.

Diss Express

The librarian of a Harleston school says she cried with joy, external when she learned her library would be boosted by a £400 grant for new books.

Archbishop Sancroft High was awarded the funding by the The Siobhan Dowd Trust, in recognition of the efforts of librarian Sharon Ellis to help struggling readers in the Harleston schools cluster.

Image source, Diss Express

More than 10 years after its distillery was built in south Norfolk, the English Whisky Company is bringing out a drink to celebrate the county.

The Roudham-based distiller traditionally makes single malts, using barley and water.Known as the English Whisky, it's been sold around the country and the world.

But owner Andrew Nelstrop felt the time had come for an entirely different drink - The Norfolk.

Using grains of oats, rye and wheat, it's called a single grain instead of single malt, and has been named after the county as many of the ingredients come from here.

Mr Nelstrop explains their normal single malt is "quite mellow, gentle". By using additional grains, The Norfolk has "extra layers of taste... a little bit sweeter with a slight spiciness towards the end".  

The chairman of the Norfolk Police Federation has paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer, the victim of yesterday's terror attack at Westminster.

Andy Symonds says he'd been called numerous times since by officers wanting to work on their days off or holidays to travel to London to help.

"There is a sombre mood around the police service, but this will not stop these brave officers from coming into work, putting on the uniform and going out to protect us all."

Image source, PA

Chris Goreham
BBC Radio Norfolk sport

King's Lynn Town have moved to ease their defensive injury worries. 

They've signed Peterborough United youngster Sam Cartwright on a work experience deal which will keep him at The Walks until the end of the season. 

The Linnets lost three of their back four, Ryan Fryatt, Sam Gaughran and Tom Ward, during their 2-1 defeat by St. Neots on Tuesday night.

Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport

Suffolk's Peter Wright faces 16-times world champion Phil Taylor in darts Premier League, external in Manchester tonight. 

Image source, Getty Images

The 46-year-old from Mendham is currently top of the table, with just two more matches of the regular season to go. 

After missing an earlier round because of injury world number one Michael van Gerwen has two games tonight - against James Wade and fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld.

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) is the first outside London to benefit from a new microscope which can detect skin cancer without the need for a biopsy.

The Confocal Microscope uses low-power laser beams that shine through the skin, reflecting off tissues beneath the surface, which illuminate the skin cells in question.

This allows the doctor to determine if a patient has cancer without the need to obtain a skin sample under local anaesthetic, followed by laboratory analysis.

Image source, NNUH

The machine will be used for research purposes in the first few months. Once staff have been trained, it will then be used in dermatology clinics.

The hospital is a skin cancer centre and screens over 6,000 people a year. 

NNUH consultant dermatologist Dr Jennifer Garioch says the equipment will have huge benefits for patients, providing on-the-spot diagnosis and reducing the number of biopsies needed.