SHOPPERS clapped and cheered today as a popular worker in a town centre store was rewarded for her generosity to the local community.

Dionne Dobson works at the Morrison store in Corringham and during the past few weeks she has proved to be an inspiration to colleagues and to people in the town for her selfless work helping those affected by coronavirus.

Not only has she been an active participant in in-store efforts to keep people safe - and amused with impromptu singalongs and dances - she has worked tirelessly to support community volunteers, she has been cooking at home to send out treats and generally she has led from the front to help the area's vulnerable people.

Several people contacted Thurrock Nub News to sing her praises, including her friend Shell Acott who said: "Dionne has gone out of her way to make food hampers for the vulnerable.

"She's been flat out non-stop doing anything and everything to keep everyone happy, not only that on her day off, she has cooked for vulnerable people. She is one in a million - an absolute diamond."

Shell gathered together a collection of gifts for Dionne from appreciate local people and Thurrock Nub News editor Neil Speight popped along today (Friday, 8 May) to film a surprise presentation - and hand over a gift from our readers as a gesture not just to Dionne but to all the many hundred, if not thousands, of selfless people in Thurrock who have been working for our community."

Dionne, who admitted to shedding a tear at the surprise, was a modest as you might expect. Dressed as a land army girl as part of the store's marking of D-Day, she said: "I just do it to help people."

Morrisons at Corringham appears to have a knack for finding popular members of its team.