VITAL work building a sanctuary for women recovering from drug and alcohol addictions is today under way thanks to money donated in the wake of the murders of five sex workers in Ipswich six years ago.
The Talitha Koum therapeutic community is being built on a farm just north of Ipswich as a lasting memory to Steve Wright’s victims.
In the wake of the killings the Star set up the Somebody’s Daughter Memorial Fund raising around �20,000.
Trustees of the fund, Star editor Nigel Pickover, councillor Liz Harsant and BBC Radio Suffolk presenter Lesley Dolphin handed over �5,000 to Talitha Koum to kick start the work to build the on-site accommodation blocks for the women.
Charity chief executive, John Cobbold said: “Much of this has been made possible by generous gifts from the public to Somebody’s Daughter.
“We all need to come alongside these vulnerable women with a heart of compassion to help them beat their addictive behavior through a structured recovery plan.”
It is hoped the sanctuary will open to help the first group of women in 2013.
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