THURROCK Council leader Rob Gledhill has paid tribute to the community spirit across the borough and highlighted the work of residents in his own ward.

Cllr Gledhill recently attended the opening of the new Little Thurrock Community Park in Delafields.

He said: "This project turned a stretch of scrubland, barely used for decades, into a park that is just outstanding.

"This was a truly community-led project. The work was carried out by volunteers and was financed and supplied by donors and local businesses giving money or the materials required, with only a small amount of input from the council.

"The project has created a fantastic outdoor space for the community to enjoy. It was a pleasure to see the park coming together and it was a privilege to be invited to the opening and see for myself just how fantastic the final results have been.

"This goes to demonstrate something I am sure we already knew: Thurrock's greatest asset is its close-knit communities.

"We saw it throughout the pandemic when we pulled together to twice battle back from having the highest rate of infection in the country, and we saw it again throughout the Jubilee weekend when community events and beacon lightings saw us come together to celebrate this happy occasion.

"There are countless other examples of our community spirit and many more to come in the future, I have no doubt."