It is no understatement to say this year has been an unprecedented time in our nation’s history.

The past four months has seen all our lives turned upside down as our country has been fighting an invisible enemy which has devastatingly claimed lives of so many.

At a time of national peril, the Gazette asked our readers to dig deep to help support those on the NHS’s frontline...and our warm-hearted readers did not let us down.

Your generosity has been both exemplary and tear-jerking and thousands of you have donated to our newspaper group Newsquest’s Support Our Guardian Angels appeal.

Across the country, readers pledged cash to back individual hospital trusts, charities and NHS Charities Together.

All funds have been a much-needed boost to the health service in their hour of need. In total, more than £503,990 has been raised.

It was used for wellbeing packs and gifts for NHS staff, food deliveries and refreshments, covering the cost of travel and accommodation.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has issued a special message of thanks to readers.

He said: “I am incredibly grateful to all the readers of the Gazette for their generosity toward the Support Our NHS Guardian Angels during the colossal national effort to tackle coronavirus.

“For nearly 72 years, the NHS has always been there for us, and this global pandemic has been its toughest challenge yet.

“Across the whole country, the bonds between our heroic NHS staff and communities have been further strengthened by the support of your readers.”

Halstead Gazette:

As the nation takes small steps into the unlocking period and hopefully towards a new normal, we wanted to take the time to say thank you to our compassionate readers who have supported our NHS through this pandemic.

Gazette editor Gary Pearson said: “This appeal has been a huge success and we are thankful to everyone who has donated for these incredibly worthy causes.

“Local newspapers do so much more than delivering news for the communities they serve and this is a text-book example of regional news teams going above and beyond, at a time of crisis.

“The generosity of our readers up and down the country has been second to none. It is heartening and captures the nation’s kind-hearted spirit to support our heroes on the frontline.”

Readers across Colchester and north Essex did their bit to help give the NHS a boost.

Thalia Kinde, ten, decorated the entire front of her parents’ four-bed house in rainbow chalk.

The St George’s New Town Junior School pupil wanted to show her support for workers like her dad, Charlie, who has worked at Colchester Hospital for 18 years in the supplies and facilities department.

Oakley Commins, six, has been using his creative flair to produce the artworks which feature animals and famous characters.

So far the Gosbecks Primary School pupil has raised £600 by selling off his drawings.

Antony and Cassie Scriven have created the NHS logo out of a range of different household items in their back garden.

Teachers and students at Colchester Institute pooled their knowledge to help make vital hand sanitiser and medical scrubs for staff at Colchester Hospital.

Harry Fryer, from Colchester, and his pals raised more than £6,000 for the NHS by running more than 2,000 miles in the space of three weeks.

Kenneth George Walsh, who has had three hip replacements, ran 26.2 miles, by jogging about 945 lengths of the Malting Wharf ’s car park in Manningtree, to mark his 80th birthday.

He raised £300 for the NHS.

Sgt Stephen Johnson, of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, based at Colchester Garrison, turned his back garden into a racetrack so he could complete a gruelling 42 marathons in 42 days to raise cash for the NHS.

To date he has raised £5,212.