Essex paper celebrates 50 Coronavirus heroes in special edition

A weekly paper cleared more than 10 pages of its edition to celebrate 50 community heroes helping to make life more bearable during Coronavirus.

Those celebrated included those behind online open mic nights, a virtual choir, teachers providing online recorder lessons, and a mum hoping to raise money for the NHS by holding a school uniform day for children being educated at home.

Tesco staff cheering up people queuing to get in, volunteers at foodbanks, fundraisers and those behind rainbows appearing on walls and floors across the area were also celebrated.

Editor Alan Woods said: “There’s one subject dominating the news agenda right now and it’s likely that will remain the same for many months.

“In last week’s newspaper we covered the initial impacts of lockdown on the county, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recommendation the week before that everyone should be working remotely where possible.

“As Editor of the Chronicle and EssexLive online, I appreciate that we have great responsibility as a media outlet in a time like this.

“EssexLive is read by more than 300,000 people every day, whilst the Chronicle remains the most trusted source of local news in print within its circulation area.

“Therefore, I made the decision to dedicate this week’s edition to the heroes within our community who have stepped up and faced the coronavirus pandemic head on, many in the front line.

“What the people featured in this edition are doing is heroic and selfless, and they deserve the widest possible exposure. So many people from different backgrounds, businesses and communities have sacrificed their time and their money to help others in this tough time.

“It felt right to dedicate an edition of our newspaper to these people, and to shine the light on their selfless work and dedication thus far.”