Thurrock Community Information

I consider Thurrock people to be resourceful and resilient. They inherit some of the warmth and matter of factness of the East Enders from whom many are descended. These working class roots are very obvious to all outsiders.

Many Thurrock people settle for life in the Borough. They are born in Basildon Hospital (now that the Borough's own hospital in Orsett has closed). They go to school in Thurrock and many stay loyal to their Thurrock roots by remaining and raising their own families in the Borough. They have a loyalty to this corner of the country which is quite marked. There is also a loyalty to a particular area of the Borough, which is made up of a number of towns and villages. Tilbury people are different from those living in Aveley, and West Thurrock people differentiate themselves from those in Grays although the distance between the two communities is only a couple of miles.

Outsiders may question this territorialism and ask "Why have you never moved?" and the reply is that "This is my home, where my friends and neighbours live". People appreciate the warm hearted neighbourliness of those around them. Thurrock people value the support and understanding of like minded individuals.

Many people in Thurrock live what could be regarded by outsiders as a marginalised lifestyle. Educational achievements and subsequent earnings are lower than the national average with a high proportion of its residents working in the Borough. Despite the fact that sixty per cent of the Borough is designated green belt, it is seen as largely industrial - the current industry and industrial legacy is very much 'in your face'. The majority of Thurrock people live in the non-rural areas and identify themselves very much as 'town' people.

Thurrock people are uncompromising, energetic and direct. Their down to earthness and lack of pretension unclouded by snobbery is like a breath of fresh air. In Thurrock a spade is most definitely called a spade and not a 'digging implement'. People care about their community - a community often not without considerable problems - but problems which are being tackled in a matter of fact way on a daily basis.

There are challenges ahead for everyone. Thurrock is absorbing new communities of people. Groups of travellers live a precarious life on the Western fringe of the Borough but efforts are being made by the voluntary and statutory sectors to incorporate them into the whole. About five percent of Thurrock's population come from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, some newly arrived and some well integrated with second and third generation families.

Thurrock has one of the highest proportion of teenage pregnancies in this part of the country. Young parents themselves are raising their families, often without essential lifeskills. The indices of deprivation are high with associated poor health.

Thurrock Council are trying to work increasingly in partnership with local communities and the voluntary organisations across the Borough to address these problems. They need to engage with the communities themselves. With access to funds to develop common sense and sound logic into leadership skills, Thurrock people have the imagination and tenacity to effect the changes necessary in their communities.