A woman who stole from the investment bank she worked at, to fund a lifestyle of cocaine and alcohol, says she hopes her story can change attitudes towards people in recovery.

Emily McMillan, from Sudbury, says she hopes the stigma of addiction "will be removed one day".

She says beating addiction is an experience people should value: "In the States they really celebrate recovery, they go for people that are in the 12 Steps Fellowships, external rather than the person who's not, because they know they've got quite a lot of moral standing.

"I think it's overlooked in the UK and I can understand why, that stigma is there, I hope it will be removed one day."

Emily now works for Focus 12 in Bury St Edmunds, external, the charity which helped her.

A Sudbury woman's story of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, has inspired a former employer to donate nearly £100,000 to the charity which helped her.

Six years ago Emily McMillan made national headlines, when it was revealed she'd used stolen money from the investment bank she worked at, to fund her lifestyle.

Mike Lloyd, business development and finance manager at the Bury St Edmunds-based Focus 12, external, where Emily now works, says it's a very significant amount of money: "Every single penny that we get from donations is used, we don't waste a penny.

"We're a charity, we spend our money very carefully."

He added that the money could be used in a number of ways, including "providing a free bed for somebody who perhaps couldn't have afforded it at the time. We do that from time to time, that's an important part of us being a charity."

TWTD.co.uk

Town’s Australasia-based fans will be looking to continue their 100% record, external when they take on Antipodean Norwich supporters in the third staging of the Derby Down Under on Saturday.

Image source, TWTD

Andrew Sinclair
BBC Look East political correspondent

This news East of England MEP Richard Howitt is standing down will come as a big blow to Labour supporters in the East.

For many years Richard Howitt has been the face of Labour in the region, the linchpin who held the party together after the the disastrous election defeat of 2010, the politician who could always be relied on to turn up at a local branch fundraiser.

But what will also come as a blow will be the fact that he has chosen to leave politics now. 

As an MEP, he knows he will lose his job when we leave the EU in a few years time, but for now there is still a job to be done in Brussels arguing for the UK's interests as Brexit negotiations get under way and the party would more than likely have rewarded his hard work with another job back in Britain.

Friends tell me that Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of Labour has been a factor in today's decision: he worries for the future of the party he loves and he fears Labour will be unelectable for some time to come.

But he also feels that as a British MEP he is starting to lose his influence, he's in his mid-50s and wants another career challenge before retiring.

There are many reasons for his decision, but there's no denying that for Labour in the East this is a big loss.

Cleah Hetherington
BBC Radio Suffolk

Terry Butcher, who played for Ipswich Town between 1976 and 1986, and won 77 caps for England, says the current international side should "go and enjoy it".

Image source, Getty Images

Speaking after England's narrow win over Slovakia last night, after an injury-time strike by Adam Lallana, the Blues legend (pictured left, with Gary Lineker) added: "I enjoyed my time in international football. 

"I didn’t freeze, I welcomed the challenge because I wanted to do my very best. Yeah sure these players want to do their very best, but they’re playing in straitjackets.”

A drug dealer is jailed for 15 years for the manslaughter of a Norfolk father who bled to death after being stabbed.

Cleah Hetherington
BBC Radio Suffolk

Former Ipswich Town star Terry Butcher says the England team need help to overcome their apparent phobia about playing for their country.

Image source, Reuters

It's safe to say the former Blues defender wasn't impressed. He said: "The most important thing is not training.

"For me it’s getting a psychologist in or somebody to speak to them individually and get this phobia about playing for their country - it just seems that when they go out and play for England they freeze."

Yesterday Sam Allardyce oversaw his first game as England manager with a narrow 1-0 victory over Slovakia in World Cup qualifying.

Cleah Hetherington
BBC Radio Suffolk

The new faces at Bury St Edmunds could take the Wolfpack far this season, according to the club's director of rugby, Gavin Hogg.

Bury beat Clifton by 30 points to 10 at the weekend, with Scotland sevens international Darren Gillespie named man of the match.

Irishman Michael Mellet also impressed Hogg. He said: “He’s one of those guys that plays on the wing and probably looks like a second row and I think he’s going to cause a lot of trouble this year.  

"What we’ve got to probably try and do is find a way of getting him in the game slightly more in terms of ball carrying, particularly off set piece, but  we're delighted with him."

Andrew Sinclair
BBC Look East political correspondent

A senior Labour MEP has announced plans to stand down from the European Parliament, external later this year.

East of England Euro-MP Richard Howitt, who has been in the European Parliament for 22 years, said he is to become chief executive of the International Integrated Reporting Council, external (IIRC), which links companies with society, the environment and the wider economy.

Mr Howitt, as well as being the senior serving MEP for the East of England, is also the Labour spokesman on foreign affairs in the European Parliament.

He is also the Socialist and Democrat Group Human Rights spokesperson, the European Parliament Rapporteur on corporate social responsibility and the president of the All-Party Disability Rights Group, external of MEPs.

We said we'd bring you some more images of this morning's spectacular sunrise.

These have all taken by people who've signed up to be BBC Weather Watchers, take a look at their website to find out how you can get involved.

Children at Broke Hall Primary School in Ipswich have had their summer holidays extended, after "asbestos was disturbed" on Friday during building work.

Image source, Google

In a letter on the school's website, external, headteacher Mrs J Barr said: "Following advice from specialist contractors and Suffolk County Council, myself and the governors have taken the difficult decision to close the school until at least Monday 12th September.

"Whilst the incident has been fully contained and clean-up work is already under way by a specialist contractor, I am not willing to have staff or pupils on site until I have received the ‘all clear’."

Heathlands pre-school is also affected.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

A plan to bring science and maths graduates from the EU into Norfolk and Suffolk has been suspended. 

Image source, Thinkstock

They would have worked in our secondary schools where there's a shortage of teachers in these subjects. But following uncertainty over Brexit, the Norfolk and Suffolk project has been put on hold. 

Geoff Robinson, executive director of the School Centre for Initial Teacher Training in Norfolk and Suffolk - which runs the scheme, said it wouldn't be fair to offer people jobs not knowing if they'd be able to stay here.

Mr Robinson said: "We could not hand on heart recruit people to come to local schools and then find that perhaps they could not have a bursary or not allowed to stay and teach.

"It seemed wrong to bring people here by false pretenses. We've put it on hold until the position is clearer."

About My Area

Sudbury narrowly lost their first game in London League 1 when they travelled to fellow promotion team Saffron Walden on Saturday, external.

Image source, About My Area

Cleah Hetherington
BBC Radio Suffolk

Bury St Edmunds director of rugby Gavin Hogg was delighted to see his players get off to a good start at the weekend.  

A 30-10 victory over Clifton sets the Wolfpack up nicely ahead of a month of potentially tricky fixtures.

Hogg was particularly impressed with his team's improvements in defence, saying: "We want to make it really difficult for opposition teams to break us down.

"Just the way we were forcing them to kick the ball to us a little bit is something we want to take into the next few games."

Bury’s next game is away to Bishops Stortford on Saturday.

And here's the front page of the east edition of the East Anglian Daily Times, external:

Image source, EADT

Here's the front page of the Ipswich Star, external: 

Image source, Ipswich Star

East Bergholt-based powerlifter Zoe Newson has arrived in Rio, with just a couple of days to go before the start of the 2016 Paralympics, external.

BBC Weather

There's a lot of cloud moving in which will stay with us for much of the day.

Feeling quite humid, with a top temperature of around 20C (68F).

We'll hold onto the cloud overnight, and there'll be one or two spots of rain in places. It will be quite muggy, with temperatures not dropping much below 19C (66F).

Get the full forecast where you live, from BBC Weather.

Philippa Taylor
BBC Local Live

Thanks for joining us as we start a new week of live coverage from across the county.

We'll start the day by checking out the forecast, finding out what the local papers are saying, and making sure there's nothing to delay you on the roads or rails.

We'll also be telling you how a Sudbury woman's story of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction has led to a donation of nearly £100,000 to the charity which helped her.

I snapped this sunrise as I got up to make my early morning cuppa - we'll bring you some more colourful photos from some of our Weather Watchers soon.