THURROCK continues to set the pace in the range and breadth of its tributes to the workers of the NHS.

Yesterday (Friday, 17 April) we brought you the story of an artistic masterpiece crafted on the wall of a Grays restaurant and we have featured a number of musical tributes created by local schools , and reported on numerous fundraising efforts for local hospitals and those operating in the front line to support them.

And today we are pleased to bring you another great Thurrock-inspired musical and video tribute which features many people from across the borough – who have been joined by contributors from around the world.

Thurrock's civic motto is "Secundum Tamesim Quovis Gentium", - which translates to "Along the Thames to all the peoples of the World". Never has this been more true than today.

Inspiration behind the #Heal The World video featuring the 'World At Home Choir' is Joanne Nyland-Fink who runs the borough's Starmakers Voices Community Choir and is director of Starmakers Academy based in Linford.

Joanne and friends have been working on the video for three weeks calling on contacts around the globe. They have been assisted in putting it together by Martin Ruby, a well known personality in Stanford-le-Hope who recently moved to Lowestoft but he retains local links with the borough community.

Contributors to the video include members of the choir and many key workers in the local health service – as well as those from further afield.

Joanne says: "I had the idea for a worldwide virtual choir and we had over 700 members in 48 hours.

"We have now just finished our video tribute to all the key workers and NHS our video has lots of photographs of them at the end, but is made up of normal people coming out of their comfort zone and recording themselves without all the high tech recording equipment just on their phones and all coming together singing in lockdown.

"We have people from Australia, USA, France, Germany and Spain and obviously here in the UK.

"We are called the World At Home Choir. It's important to remember these people are not professional singers they are normal everyday people joining together during this lockdown."