IN just a few weeks, coronavirus has brought the UK to its knees.

Now more than ever, we are reliant on our doctors and nurses in our NHS hospitals.

These guardian angels of the community are serving on the frontline under impossible pressure to save lives.

Your Echo is joining other newspapers across parent company Newsquest to raise money for NHS Charities Together and their urgent Covid-19 appeal.

It will help 250 hospitals around the UK.

Donations will be used for well-being packs and gifts for staff, food deliveries and refreshments, covering the cost of travel and accommodation and other items which enhance the well-being of NHS staff and volunteers.

We want to say a big thank you to all the incredible staff at our hospitals in Essex.

The teams on the frontline in Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals deserve our overwhelming admiration.

Chris Hatton, editor-in-chief of Newsquest South East, said: “This week, the Echo published many thank-you messages to the NHS from our readers.

“This underlined the immense gratitute and total respect we all have for those on the NHS frontline, now and always.

“At this time of hardship, it is important for us, the community, to bring some joy and happiness to those who are on the frontline in the most challenging and anxious circumstances.

“While the majority of the population are confined to their homes, these heroes are potentially forsaking their own health and wellbeing and putting people like you and I first.

“We think it is time for us as a community to say, ‘thank you’.

“Hundreds of NHS workers from doctors and nurses through to porters and cleaners are risking their lives to save ours.

“Together, we will defeat coronavirus and emerge from it as stronger, tighter, more resilient communities than ever before.”

This week, thousands of volunteers have stepped in to help to tackle coronavirus, help the NHS and support the vulnerable.

More than 35,000 extra NHS staff will join the fight against the virus, including retired doctors and nurses returning to the service and final-year students joining the frontline.

Nationally, we have seen community spirit thriving in these difficult times.

We are now asking readers to extend this support to the heroes of the NHS.

Please donate whatever you can and keep sending us your messages.

Let’s send collective, united thanks to NHS workers for their extraordinary efforts.

How you can help

YOU can get involved and support our campaign by sharing our appeal and telling us why you are thankful for the NHS #ThankYouNHS on social media using the link: www.gofundme.com/f/support-ournhs-guardian-angels or by clicking here. 

You can also send us a picture of yourself holding up a piece of paper reading #ThankYouNHS some of which we will print in the paper.

You can send it via email to basildon.echonews@newsquest.co.uk or you can tweet us @Echo_Essex or message us on Facebook by searching Essex Echo.

Let us show our NHS staff that we care, and that we are thankful for everything they are doing.