Tony,
A UV filter will help protect the front element as others have said. I would advise against buying a cheap UV filter as these WILL reduce image quality. Buy a high quality one, such as the Hoya Pro range. There's lots of cheap filters out there, I used to use them for years. Taking them off made my photos a lot sharper instantly. Now, I don't use any filters, I just take a lot of care whilst handling lenses.
Expect to pay between £40 and £50 for a filter worth using on a big lens like that.
Duncan
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