There's been a long and high profile political campaign to improve the Ely North Junction.
It lies on one of the main arteries of the eastern region. Trains from Norwich, King's Lynn, Peterborough, Ipswich and Cambridge all converge on the station along with freight services connecting Felixstowe to the Midlands.
Campaigners say that if it were improved it would be possible to run longer and more frequent services.
But the promised work, which had been due to start this year, was indefinitely delayed after Network Rail realised it had over-committed on projects and run out of money.
With its new budget not starting until 2019, no preparatory work could start until then.
The fact that the private sector has stumped up the cash for a feasibilty study shows how much this project means to the region's business community.
There is still no start date despite today's announcement and there won't be one for some time.
But you get a sense that things are at last slowly moving forwards.
Rail junction project finally moves forward
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
and the
New Anglia LEP
) 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.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Red-nosed silly socks
Kate Williams
BBC Local Live
Really, on
Red Nose Day
, it's been proven that more or less anything goes.
We all know that up and down the country, no end of silly (and some ridiculous) antics are under way in the name of raising cash for charity. And make no mistake, people take it very seriously.
And while some people shout about their tomfoolery and shenanigans, some are quieter, more reticent in their contributions to the cause.
For example, who would have guessed that the smiling face of the charming lady at the BBC Suffolk reception in St Matthew's Street had put on her own silly socks in the good name of Comic Relief?
Here are the socks, which are, we have decided, red-nosed:
BBCCopyright: BBC
And let me introduce you to their owner, Helen, our good friend on reception whose smiling face is the first (and hopefully not last) you see when you walk in through our doors. Thank you for joining in, Helen.
Just for the record, she posed for this picture, simply to show the socks off. I can assure she works very hard, and doesn't
ever
sit with her feet up on the desk!
BBCCopyright: BBC
She was joined by Mark Murphy and the breakfast team earlier...
Ipswich Town
striker Shane McLoughlin has joined National League side Bromley on a youth loan for the rest of the season.
Ipswich Town FCCopyright: Ipswich Town FC
The 20-year-old, who has been on the Blues bench for a couple of FA Cup ties, has been a regular for Town's Under-23s this season.
He's likely to make his Bromley debut against Chester tomorrow.
Darts: Taylor too tough for Wright
Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport
Suffolk's Peter Wright has been knocked off the top of darts'
Premier League
table.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The UK Open champion, who's based in Mendham, lost 7-5 to Phil Taylor in Manchester last night.
World number one Michael van Gerwen now leads the way after seeing off James Wade, although he later lost to compatriot Raymond van Barneveld.
Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson were the round's other winners.
Bloomin' unusual use for a pothole
A Green Party councillor has taken an unusual step in an effort to draw attention to potholes in his area.
Andrew StringerCopyright: Andrew Stringer
Andrew Stringer, leader of the party on Suffolk County Council, said: "I went out yesterday and planted some up with some daffodils and took pictures of them, then sent the pictures in [to the council]."
He's hoping his novel idea will lead to a swift filling-in of the pothole in Broad Road, Cotton near Stowmarket - but not while the flowers are still blooming we assume.
Ed Sheeran does PR for James Blunt
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ed Sheeran
has also taken time today to plug the release of
James Blunt
's new album and one particular track on it which he co-wrote.
Quote Message:
Happy Friday everyone. James Blunt's new album is out today, I co wrote this one with him and it's awesome, check out the album x
Happy Friday everyone. James Blunt's new album is out today, I co wrote this one with him and it's awesome, check out the album x
Former
Ipswich Town
player John Wark is confident the Blues will avoid relegation from the Championship this season.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Although he admits that, like fans, he's worried about the club's current predicament, he can't see them ending up in League One.
"I've looked at the fixtures of the other teams [down there] and for me Wigan and Rotherham have gone," said Wark.
"I can't see Birmingham, Burton and Bristol getting enough points as they've got more difficult fixtures than us, so I can see one of them going down as well."
Listen to Wark's full analysis with me on
BBC Radio Suffolk's Drivetime Show
after 18:00 this evening. Thordis Fridriksson sits in as presenter for Stephen Foster.
In pictures: Work to resume on collapsed water main
Andrew Woodger
BBC News
Work is due to resume in The Street in Holbrook, where a car has been removed from a hole created by a collapsed water main. Here was the scene yesterday morning:
BBCCopyright: BBC
The car has been removed by Anglia Water and this was the scene outside the GP surgery this morning, before any workers arrived:
BBCCopyright: BBC
Here's a close up of the work carried out so far:
BBCCopyright: BBC
Holbrook Academy is open again today, but work is being carried out at its entrance on Ipswich Road.
On the other side of the street, work continues building a new housing estate, with the entrance to the site a few yards behind the barriers across Ipswich Road.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Ed Sheeran turns journalist for Comic Relief
Cherry SeabornCopyright: Cherry Seaborn
Ed Sheeran
's written an article for the BBC about his experiences of his first Comic Relief trip to Africa.
He visited a school in West Point, the largest and most dangerous slum in Liberia's capital, Monrovia - where he made friends with a girl called Peaches.
Quote Message:
The welcome from the kids was amazing, especially when they saw my tattoos; they went nuts and couldn't understand what they were. Some of the younger kids tried to wipe them off. Everyone wanted to know what we were doing and where we were from. They absolutely loved singing and clapping along to my songs and for a few hours it was easy to forget that these kids live in such awful conditions.
The welcome from the kids was amazing, especially when they saw my tattoos; they went nuts and couldn't understand what they were. Some of the younger kids tried to wipe them off. Everyone wanted to know what we were doing and where we were from. They absolutely loved singing and clapping along to my songs and for a few hours it was easy to forget that these kids live in such awful conditions.
Video caption: Work continues to rebuild the front of Felixstowe PierWork continues to rebuild the front of Felixstowe Pier
The pier front at Felixstowe Pier is being rebuilt with new shops, a restaurant and a bowling alley.
Man charged following incident at swimming pool
Kate Arkell
BBC Radio Suffolk
A man has been charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place, and a public order offence, after an incident at Crown Pools in Ipswich yesterday morning.
The 52-year-old, who lives in the town, has been released on bail to appear in court next month.
As
we reported yesterday
, the pool was shut for about 45 minutes, but no-one was hurt.
Congratulations to the Great Pottery Throw Down winner
We'd like to say a big "well done" to Ipswich's Ryan Barrett, who was
crowned winner
of the second series of the Great Pottery Throw Down on BBC2 last night.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Ryan, 31, is pictured clutching his trophy, and phoning his grandma to share the good news. She responded by saying: "Ooh lovely darling - you don't get any money or anything?"
Ryan said he first touched clay on a first date just under two years ago, instantly falling in love with it before buying a wheel and kiln online and moving them into his grandmother's shed.
School reopens today after water problems yesterday
Andrew Woodger
BBC News
Holbrook Academy near Ipswich is open today after yesterday's closure due to lack of water supplies.
A water main collapsed under a car on The Street in Holbrook.
Repairs are due to resume today. The Street is still closed off outside the GP Surgery, while Ipswich Road, the main road through the village, is blocked off at the entrance to the secondary school, so it would be best to approach the Royal Hospital School or Stutton via the A137.
Pictures of the collapsed main on The Street to follow.
Suffolk darts player nose how to entertain
Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport
Mendham's Peter Wright embraced the spirit of Comic Relief ahead of last night's
Premier League
game against Phil Taylor in Manchester.
Getty ImagesCopyright: 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.
Weather: Cloudy at first, breezy with sunshine later
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).
Welcome to our live coverage on the day when we have a great excuse to do something a bit silly, as you can see from the socks some of my colleagues are wearing:
BBCCopyright: BBC
We'll bring you news of some of the fund-raising events taking place across the county, but we'd love to hear what you're up to as well - you can reach us via the "Get involved" link at the top of this page.
We'll be back soon with the day's weather prospects.
Live Reporting
Philippa Taylor
All times stated are UK
Get involved
Ely North Junction: The long wait
There's been a long and high profile political campaign to improve the Ely North Junction.
It lies on one of the main arteries of the eastern region. Trains from Norwich, King's Lynn, Peterborough, Ipswich and Cambridge all converge on the station along with freight services connecting Felixstowe to the Midlands.
Campaigners say that if it were improved it would be possible to run longer and more frequent services.
But the promised work, which had been due to start this year, was indefinitely delayed after Network Rail realised it had over-committed on projects and run out of money.
With its new budget not starting until 2019, no preparatory work could start until then.
The fact that the private sector has stumped up the cash for a feasibilty study shows how much this project means to the region's business community.
There is still no start date despite today's announcement and there won't be one for some time.
But you get a sense that things are at last slowly moving forwards.
Rail junction project finally moves forward
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 and the New Anglia LEP ) 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.
Red-nosed silly socks
Kate Williams
BBC Local Live
Really, on Red Nose Day , it's been proven that more or less anything goes.
We all know that up and down the country, no end of silly (and some ridiculous) antics are under way in the name of raising cash for charity. And make no mistake, people take it very seriously.
And while some people shout about their tomfoolery and shenanigans, some are quieter, more reticent in their contributions to the cause.
For example, who would have guessed that the smiling face of the charming lady at the BBC Suffolk reception in St Matthew's Street had put on her own silly socks in the good name of Comic Relief?
Here are the socks, which are, we have decided, red-nosed:
And let me introduce you to their owner, Helen, our good friend on reception whose smiling face is the first (and hopefully not last) you see when you walk in through our doors. Thank you for joining in, Helen.
Just for the record, she posed for this picture, simply to show the socks off. I can assure she works very hard, and doesn't ever sit with her feet up on the desk!
She was joined by Mark Murphy and the breakfast team earlier...
Ipswich Town: McLoughlin heads out on loan
Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport
Ipswich Town striker Shane McLoughlin has joined National League side Bromley on a youth loan for the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old, who has been on the Blues bench for a couple of FA Cup ties, has been a regular for Town's Under-23s this season.
He's likely to make his Bromley debut against Chester tomorrow.
Darts: Taylor too tough for Wright
Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport
Suffolk's Peter Wright has been knocked off the top of darts' Premier League table.
The UK Open champion, who's based in Mendham, lost 7-5 to Phil Taylor in Manchester last night.
World number one Michael van Gerwen now leads the way after seeing off James Wade, although he later lost to compatriot Raymond van Barneveld.
Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson were the round's other winners.
Bloomin' unusual use for a pothole
A Green Party councillor has taken an unusual step in an effort to draw attention to potholes in his area.
Andrew Stringer, leader of the party on Suffolk County Council, said: "I went out yesterday and planted some up with some daffodils and took pictures of them, then sent the pictures in [to the council]."
He's hoping his novel idea will lead to a swift filling-in of the pothole in Broad Road, Cotton near Stowmarket - but not while the flowers are still blooming we assume.
Ed Sheeran does PR for James Blunt
Ed Sheeran has also taken time today to plug the release of James Blunt 's new album and one particular track on it which he co-wrote.
And if you want to check it out here's James Blunt performing it live at Youtube's studios.
Warning: Third party content, may contain ads.
Ipswich legend believes Town will dodge the drop
Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport
Former Ipswich Town player John Wark is confident the Blues will avoid relegation from the Championship this season.
Although he admits that, like fans, he's worried about the club's current predicament, he can't see them ending up in League One.
"I've looked at the fixtures of the other teams [down there] and for me Wigan and Rotherham have gone," said Wark.
"I can't see Birmingham, Burton and Bristol getting enough points as they've got more difficult fixtures than us, so I can see one of them going down as well."
Listen to Wark's full analysis with me on BBC Radio Suffolk's Drivetime Show after 18:00 this evening. Thordis Fridriksson sits in as presenter for Stephen Foster.
In pictures: Work to resume on collapsed water main
Andrew Woodger
BBC News
Work is due to resume in The Street in Holbrook, where a car has been removed from a hole created by a collapsed water main. Here was the scene yesterday morning:
The car has been removed by Anglia Water and this was the scene outside the GP surgery this morning, before any workers arrived:
Here's a close up of the work carried out so far:
Holbrook Academy is open again today, but work is being carried out at its entrance on Ipswich Road.
On the other side of the street, work continues building a new housing estate, with the entrance to the site a few yards behind the barriers across Ipswich Road.
Ed Sheeran turns journalist for Comic Relief
Ed Sheeran 's written an article for the BBC about his experiences of his first Comic Relief trip to Africa.
He visited a school in West Point, the largest and most dangerous slum in Liberia's capital, Monrovia - where he made friends with a girl called Peaches.
Read the full article here.
Time-lapse shows pier reconstruction
Video content
The pier front at Felixstowe Pier is being rebuilt with new shops, a restaurant and a bowling alley.
Man charged following incident at swimming pool
Kate Arkell
BBC Radio Suffolk
A man has been charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place, and a public order offence, after an incident at Crown Pools in Ipswich yesterday morning.
The 52-year-old, who lives in the town, has been released on bail to appear in court next month.
As we reported yesterday , the pool was shut for about 45 minutes, but no-one was hurt.
Congratulations to the Great Pottery Throw Down winner
We'd like to say a big "well done" to Ipswich's Ryan Barrett, who was crowned winner of the second series of the Great Pottery Throw Down on BBC2 last night.
Ryan, 31, is pictured clutching his trophy, and phoning his grandma to share the good news. She responded by saying: "Ooh lovely darling - you don't get any money or anything?"
Ryan said he first touched clay on a first date just under two years ago, instantly falling in love with it before buying a wheel and kiln online and moving them into his grandmother's shed.
School reopens today after water problems yesterday
Andrew Woodger
BBC News
Holbrook Academy near Ipswich is open today after yesterday's closure due to lack of water supplies.
A water main collapsed under a car on The Street in Holbrook.
Repairs are due to resume today. The Street is still closed off outside the GP Surgery, while Ipswich Road, the main road through the village, is blocked off at the entrance to the secondary school, so it would be best to approach the Royal Hospital School or Stutton via the A137.
Pictures of the collapsed main on The Street to follow.
Suffolk darts player nose how to entertain
Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport
Mendham's Peter Wright embraced the spirit of Comic Relief ahead of last night's Premier League game against Phil Taylor in Manchester.
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.
Weather: Cloudy at first, breezy with sunshine later
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 .
Exclusive: Sheeran says Liberia trip 'hit me hard'
The singer writes about his Comic Relief visit and why he'll never forget the children he met.
Read moreGood morning - it's Red Nose Day
Philippa Taylor
BBC Local Live
Welcome to our live coverage on the day when we have a great excuse to do something a bit silly, as you can see from the socks some of my colleagues are wearing:
We'll bring you news of some of the fund-raising events taking place across the county, but we'd love to hear what you're up to as well - you can reach us via the "Get involved" link at the top of this page.
We'll be back soon with the day's weather prospects.
Drivers told to go 'SL' on country road
Contractors repainted the "SL" after they laid down cabling and resurfaced part of the road.
Read moreMan guilty of attempted rape at station
Sam Duncan, 24, attacked a woman as she waited for a train at Melton station in Suffolk in July.
Read more