CONGRATULATIONS to my friend, Russell Godward, who has been appointed chairman of Thurrock Faith Matters last week.

Like me, Russell has been leading a local church in Thurrock for some years and believes faith to be really important in the local community.

We have representatives from the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities as well as Christians on Thurrock Faith Matters, and we all believe in promoting the good, making a difference and bringing people together.

Some of us met together in the Beehive Centre with council and community leaders last week to celebrate all that is good about Thurrock and remind ourselves of the many wonderful projects that make a difference in this amazing borough, many of which are run by the faith community.

Whether it’s the Foodbank, Besom or Bar’n’Bus, you will have heard of these and other great initiatives.

Why not get involved? What we believe determines who we are and who we are drives what we do.

And take it from me … it’s not just what you believe, but Who.