TWO of the most well-known faces in Thurrock have been presented with the borough's top accolade.

Sporting and community heroes, Fatima Whitbread and Margaret Whitbread, were presented with their Freedom of the Borough Awards by Thurrock Mayor Cllr Sue Shinnick and the council's leader, Cllr Lynn Worrall.

The decision to award world-renowned javelin thrower Fatima and adoptive mum Margaret freedom of the borough was actually passed by the council in January last year, following unanimous support for a motion by Cllr Neil Speight.

They were honoured for their contributions to the sport and community in Thurrock and for advocating for children in the care system.

Unfortunately, though it has been scheduled a couple of times, Margaret's recent ill health delayed a formal event taking place.

Maggie and Fatima have joined the pantheon of borough heroes alongside the recently nominated Jim Gooding (left) and Mike Ostler).

Margaret, 86, widely known as Maggie, was not able to make the recent civic presentation when another pair of local heroes, Jim Gooding and Mike Ostler were similarly honoured.

So it was decided to make a presentation at her home.

Fatima, 64, spent the first 14 years of her life in children's homes after being abandoned as a baby before being welcomed into Grays-based javelin coach Margaret's home where her sporting skills flourished. She was adopted by Maggie and husband John in 1975.

Moments of happiness were rare in Fatima's young childhood but an encounter with Maggie changed her life.

The turning point in her life came after she was moved to a local children's home and visited Harriers' stadium at Blackshots. Trying javelin for the first time, she never looked back after coach Margaret took her under her wing.

She went on to compete at the highest levels of her sport, breaking the world record with a throw of 77.44 m in the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, and became the first British athlete to set a world record in a throwing event.

From sports star to TV celebrity: Fatima Whitbread. Inset: With mum Maggie at the LA Olympics where she won bronze.

Fatima went on to win the European title that year, and took the gold medal at the 1987 World Championships. She is also a two-time Olympic medallist, winning bronze at the 1984 Summer Olympics and silver at the 1988 Summer Olympics. She won the same medals, respectively, in the Commonwealth Games of 1982 and 1986.

Outside her sporting achievements Fatima has been a campaigning advocate for children's rights and was presented with the Helen Rollason Award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023. She has also twice featured on TV's "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! in 2011 and an all star edition in 2023, in which she finished in third place both times. She was named the Sports Writers' Association Sportswoman of the Year in 1986 and 1987. In the 1987 Birthday Honours, Fatima was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to athletics.

Thurrock-born Maggie had her own international career, finishing third behind Averil Williams in the javelin at the 1957 WAAA Championships. She represented England at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff and finished third behind Sue Platt at the 1966 WAAA Championships.

At the presentation to Maggie and Fatima, Cllr Shinnick said: "It is a real honour to present these awards to two of the borough's sporting and Olympic heroes. It honours not only their incredible athletic achievements but also the community work they have done promoting not only sport but in advocating for children in care."

Fatima has been a campaigning advocate for children's rights and was presented with the Helen Rollason Award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023

Cllr Worrall added: "I was delighted to get the chance to be here today as these two remarkable women received their Freedom of the Borough Awards.

"It is especially poignant for me because Margaret was my PE teacher at school. I might not have reached the heights of international athletic achievement that Fatima has, but I have happy, and exhausting, memories of school sports thanks to Margaret."

Cllr Speight, who had hoped to attend the presentation but had to forgo at the last minute because of a work commitment, said: "The presentation has been a long time coming but I feel it is worth the wait. Maggie and Fatima are iconic to Thurrock, and are inseparable.

"When I came to Thurrock 21 years ago, Maggie was one of the first people I met and her name and commitment to the community has been a repeated topic of discussion since – and not just because of the connection to Fatima, she has helped so many people across the borough during her lifetime – as illustrated by Cllr Worrall's comments.

"These awards are richly deserved and I can only state my gratitude for their commitment to others. They are truly inspiring."

Maggie and Fatimah join a list of leading ladies from the borough, highlighted in a recent Nub News feature by local historian Sue Yates.