The players are showing their support for this important local charity by wearing the Air Ambulance t-shirts as they warm up before the game.

The two aircraft, Anglia One and Anglia Two, provide a 365 day-a-year emergency service across Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. They receive no government or National Lottery funding and have to raise £4.2 million per year to keep the two ambulances flying and stocked with advanced medical equipment.

Nichola Whymark, Area Fundraising Manager for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, said: “Our two helicopters are called out on a daily basis to assist people who need specialist medical attention at the scene of an incident. We fly a highly skilled crew and with specialist equipment out to remote locations where it can be difficult to get a land ambulance and help people at the scene, effectively taking the hospital to the patient.

“The beauty of the helicopter is that we can also take the patient to the most appropriate hospital for their needs rather than just the nearest.

“All this costs the charity £4.2million a year and it’s only through the support of the general public and businesses like Ipswich Town that we can continue to operate. We’d be really grateful for any loose change that supporters have to help us keep these life-saving aircraft in the air.”

The Council’s cleansing partners Suffolk Coastal Services Ltd (SCS) are taking the lead on the campaign and have also linked up with the Port of Felixstowe to help get the message across.

“Radio Suffolk’s excellent Don’t Be A Tosser campaign has regularly highlighted one of the big problems facing us which is the amount of rubbish that is being thrown or dumped by motorists, particularly on the A12 and A14,” said Cllr Andrew Nunn, Cabinet Member for the Green Environment.

“We have been getting tough in the last few months, with over 80 motorists issued with fixed penalty notices since April, but we also want to get the simple message across to people that they should hold onto their litter and not just throw it out on our roadsides.

“These two variable message signs (VMS) will help us target our message at motorists, and particularly truckers using the busy port at Felixstowe, and hopefully stop some of the quite disgusting littering that our SCS teams have to clear up,” added Cllr Nunn.

It is currently costing Suffolk Coastal around £600,000 a year to clear up rubbish left around the district, with one team of workers dedicated to just keeping the A12 and A14 clean and tidy.

The two VMSs will be at Trinity Avenue, Felixstowe near the port, and at the Orwell Crossing, Nacton on the A14 from yesterday (January 23) for four weeks.

Anti-littering leaflets will also be handed out to drivers, thanks to the Port of Felixstowe, at the vehicle check points at the Dock Gates and will also be available at the Orwell Crossing.

“This Council’s Chief Executive Stephen Baker and others have been asking the Highways Agency to put anti-litter messages on their new multi-million pound VMS gantries along the A14 and hopefully that will eventually happen.

“In the meantime, we have decided to press ahead with our own initiative and have hired these solar-powered boards to get our rather important environmental messages out to as many people as possible.

“There really is no excuse for anyone to drop litter or for fly-tipping as there are so many bins and recycling facilities for people to use when they are out on the road, or of course they can bag it up and dispose of it at home,” added Cllr Nunn.

Anyone that spots someone dropping litter from a vehicle can report the incident to SCS on 01394 444000.

Photos from yesterday’s launch of the new signs can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/suffolkcoastal/6755722455/in/set-72157629014185155

Launched in 2010, the awards puts the spotlight on the efforts being made by people across Suffolk Coastal to add to the district’s quality through new projects that have helped conserve historic buildings, create new top-notch designs, or helped benefit the local landscape, nature, local community or community spirit.

“This district has a proud record of excellence on show, which this Council’s commitment to encouraging high quality design and conserving the best of our district has played its part in delivering,” said Cllr Andy Smith, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Planning.

“There has been a trend in recent years for projects in our district to eventually gain national recognition and what we are trying to achieve with this award scheme is to help laud locally the quality of design and conservation on our doorsteps.

“We have introduced an additional category this year to specifically take account of those developments which have contributed to local facilities and community spirit, and I hope we again attract a high standard of entries for our judges to consider,” added Cllr Smith.

The awards aim to recognise and encourage an interest in the quality of the built and natural environment in Suffolk Coastal, while promoting an awareness of the need for high standards in all forms of design.

Entries are invited in four categories, building conservation, design, nature/landscape, and community project. Entry is free and nominations should be submitted by 4.45pm on Friday, April 27, and they will be judged on the basis of the quality of design, detailing, and workmanship, as well as materials and sustainability.

The project must be within the Suffolk Coastal area and have been completed between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011, except for the nature and landscape category whose start date is January 1, 2007 in recognition of the time it takes for such work to be established.

Full details, along with an entry form, can be found on www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/yourdistrict/planning/policy/qualityofplace where there is also information about, and pictures of, previous winners. People can also email conservation@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk or call 01394 444296.

A panel of professional and lay judges, chaired by a district councillor, will review the nominations and visit the shortlisted sites. Winners will receive a bronze Quality of Place plaque at a special ceremony in the summer.