To celebrate the launch of OurRoad, a group of photographers have come together and in the space of just three days.

The photographers blitzed the 20 wards of Thurrock to gather some of the best sights Thurrock has to offer for a borough-wide competition - with a £500 cash prize!

The photographers were given a tough task – to find 'Thurrock’s hidden pieces of beauty, during lockdown, within the community'.

Those 20 images have been printed as postcards – with enough to give EVERY single household in Thurrock two postcards each.

With five special edition sponsored postcards - which are yet to be released - all 25 need to be collected and pieced ‘back together’ in order to reveal a larger image representing some of the most beautiful sights, right on our doorstep.

Thurrock residents now have the task of trying to connect with other residents locally to collect all 25 postcards and submit a picture of the finished piece by September 1, 2020.

Scott Sullivan, Thurrock CVS trustee representing the Stronger Together Arts, Culture and Heritage group, said: “Piecing Thurrock Back Together is an ambitious and timely idea as we all start rethinking Thurrock life after lockdown.

“The scale of collecting and designing these postcards was no easy feat – one we certainly couldn’t have done without the help of our wonderful volunteers and our extremely talented photographers.

“We’ve included on the front of the post cards What3Word reference codes - which are easy to follow location coordinates, so you can go and visit these places and enjoy them in real life.

“As we reimagine our future, we hope that we might continue to nurture our new found community spirit, where we talk to neighbours more, speak to the people in the queue at the supermarket and say ‘hello’ to people as they pass us by. We also hope the postcards remind everybody just how beautiful our borough truly is.”

The postcards are being delivered during the next four weeks, with the five limited edition cards being released by the end of the month.

Scott added: “Our photographers had limited time to collect photos, so we know we may have missed some hidden secrets. We are launching an OurRoad Instagram and Facebook page where we will encourage people to share the images they would have used on their local postcards.”

To share your own photos, visit Facebook/OurRoadThurrock or on Instagram @OurRoadThurrock.