A COMMUNITY stalwart has spoken of plans to develop and improve facilities on offer to young people and residents of Corringham.

John Darling is the driving force behind the Karis May Darling Foundation which was created in memory of his daughter, who died aged 12 in 2011 after contracting a bug called Streptococcus.

The foundation, which has grown into a popular and effective community organisation in the town over the past decade goes from strength to strength and last weekend more than 4,500 people attended the latest community, family and performance day at Gable Hall School which the foundation runs annually.

Last weekend's event.

The day sums up what the charity is all about said Mr Darling, adding: "The foundation is to help children, to get into things they otherwise would not be able to do.

"To date we have helped 267 deserving young people in the area."

Recently the foundation appeared to be criticised by local councillor Shane Ralph in an interview about the state of Corringham Town Park.

While saying he did not wish to get involved in local politics, Mr Darling was keen to stress the foundation's role is to help the local community and it has been very successful in doing so over the past ten years and that it will continue to do so.

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And he outlined specifically how the park plays a pivotal role in its plans and how the centre itself is going to be improved.

Mr Darling said: "We will be donating new waste bins for Corringham Town park and we are seeking to engage with the council in making other improvements. We want to work with them to encourage people to use the park.

"We had temporary planning permission for the centre, the council wanted us to make it a more permanent structure so we have done.

"We are going to extend the centre, put a sensory room in for disable children, put on a pitched roof and install brickwork to make it permanent."