RESIDENTS in Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham will have the opportunity today to pay respects and say farewell to a local character who died on Christmas Eve.

Organised by the local community, the funeral of rough sleeper James 'Jimmy' Murphy will take place early this afternoon.

A cortege will leave St Margaret's Church around 12.15 and will make its way through King Street and High Street in Stanford before travelling via Corringham Road and Springhouse Road to Corringham, where it will drive through St John's Way before leaving for a service and cremation at Pitsea at 1.30pm. Rev Tom Rout will lead the service.

The funeral will be managed and has been organised by Corringham funeral directors DJC Cotton & Sons who have generously offered their services free. Costs, including the crematorium fees have been met by donations from the local community.

There still remains a small shortfall which will help cover the costs of arrangements for Mr Murphy's ashes to be scatterd on the Thames at a later date. That ceremony will be helped by the Tilbury arm of the Queen Victoria Seamen's Rest, a charity which reflects Mr Murphy's own maritime history.

Anyone who wishes to contribute can still do so via this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/james-jimmy-murphy

Mr Murphy, who chose to live his life as a rough sleeper, became a much respected member of the community by his actions and his dignity.

Among the things he did was clear up local rubbish and make places tidy, particularly in Corringham town centre. Madeline of town shop Shaders said: "He was such a lovely guy, he made a difference. He used to keep the town centre tidy and it's fair to say he really is missed. It has been good to see the community support his funeral and we will be among those paying our respects today."

Thurrock Nub News will be covering parts of the funeral procession and service live on its Facebook page.