THURROCk'S Council leader has been extolling the virtues of Thurrock's library service and the borough museum in Grays.

And he has called on borough residents to help catalogue more of the area's history.

In his latest message to residents Cllr Richard Bingley says: "I had the pleasure of going behind the scenes at the Thameside Complex and Grays Central Library, and I would like to thank Joseph and his team for taking the time to show me around what is a genuinely precious, yet wonderfully accessible, community resource.

"The library's local history collection is remarkable. Behind the scenes are decades of records and publications documenting the people, businesses, communities and institutions that made Thurrock what it is today.

"I was fascinated to see old editions of the Thurrock Gazette from the 1950s and 1960s, parish church newsletters, Bata factory staff magazines and an amazing array of publications produced by companies that once employed generations of local people, including Unilever.

"In my view, Grays Central Library is one of the best libraries in Essex, and its local history resources are particularly impressive. They provide an opportunity not simply to look nostalgically at the past, but to research it properly.

"Thurrock has an extraordinary story to tell. Its history encompasses industry, the Thames, shipping and trade, engineering, migration, literature, science and the growth of communities around some of Britain's most important industrial enterprises.

"The collection can help us discover more about the great figures who lived, worked or had important connections here, people such as Alfred Russel Wallace and Joseph Conrad, as well as the remarkable Czechoslovak management team who came here to establish the Bata operation and help create Bata's distinctive community at East Tilbury in the 1930s.

"And there is still so much more to discover. Sitting within these archives is a wealth of primary and secondary source material that has the potential to help researchers build a much richer picture of Thurrock's past. Old newspapers, company magazines, photographs, newsletters and local records can tell us not only about major events, but also about everyday life: where people worked, what they did, what they worried about, what they celebrated and how their communities changed.

"Much of this material deserves further investigation. That is why I would particularly like to hear from residents, local historians, students, academics and anyone with a passion for research who would like to help bring Thurrock's history to life. There are stories here waiting to be researched and written.

"Our history should not simply sit safely in boxes and archives. It should be explored, understood and shared with future generations.

"Thank you again to Joseph and the whole team at Grays Central Library for looking after this remarkable collection and for making it available to our community.

"If you would like to actively research Thurrock's past and help us tell its story, please get in touch."

Cllr Bingley can be contacted via his email [email protected] or telephone on 01375 659555.