Colchester's Roman Chariot Circus is saved
The battle to save the remains of the only Roman Chariot Racing arena known in Britain from being lost forever looks to have been won. A consortium of the Colchester Archaeological Trust, Colchester and Essex Councils needed to raise £200,000 by the end of February 2010 in order to buy the ex-sergeants’ mess building from developers Taylor Wimpey, under which lie the remains of the arena starting gates. They managed to meet their target with days to spare and therefore ensured this unique site was saved for future generations. The consortium now plan to set up a heritage centre on the site. You can read more about the site and help to support the cause by visiting http://www.romancircus.org.

William & Griffins Christmas display 2009

Will you be Up for the Cup?

Have you ever dream't of getting your hands on the famous FA Cup? The Football Association is bringing cup fever to Colchester United and inviting fans to create their own special piece of FA Cup history by visiting the official FA Cup Trophy Tour. This FREE nationwide tour will be rolling into the Weston Homes Community Stadium on Wednesday, 25th November to give fans of all ages the chance to sample the history, heritage and magic of the world’s most famous domestic cup competition dating back to 1871. The FA Cup Trophy Tour will be visiting the U’s as part of its tour of 30 clubs between the eagerly anticipated 2nd Round and The Final at Wembley in May. The 30 minute interactive FA Cup experience is aimed at children, fans and families and brings to life The FA Cup’s remarkable story. The FA Cup Trophy Tour will be open to the public on 25th November from 3pm – 7pm. Places are limited, to gain FREE entry to The FA Cup Trophy Tour visitors must pre-register their place on facuptrophytour.co.uk

Colchester Zoo Christmas Magic
Don’t miss a visit to Santa’s Enchanted Christmas Grotto this year at Colchester Zoo, it is one of the finest Christmas grottos in the south of England. Every paying child will get the chance to meet Santa between 9.30 and 16.00 each day, and will receive a present from him and Santa will even be bringing his reindeer! Plus there are all the other additional activities to look forward to as well! The grotto will be open on 28th & 29th Nov, 5th & 6th Dec, 12th & 13th Dec, 17th – 24th Dec, 2009.

There will also be a special Late Night Opening on Wednesday the 23rd December where visitors can enjoy all the Christmas lights and additional activities up until 9.00pm. There will also be a 'Festive Square' at the top end of the zoo around Cafe Umphafa, with a choir singing traditional carols, Christmas Gift Stalls and christmas treats such as roasted Chestnuts, mince pies and festive fruit punch!

Colchester Zoo Shriek Week
Don't miss the spook-tastic events going on at Colchester Zoo this Halloween, from Saturday 24th October to Sunday 1st November, 2009. Visit the Haunted Forest, or watch some of the special Halloween displays and shows! And if you're brave enough to stay out after dark, why not visit one of the zoo's late night openings on the 24th, 28th or 31st October. There's even more ghostly goings on - an unmissable experience for zoo fans and ghost hunters alike! Tel. (01206) 331292.

King Coel's Kittens Firework Display
The annual King Coel's Kittens Firework Display will be held on Thursday 5th November in the Upper Castle Park from 6-8.30pm. Entry is Adults £7, Children (4-15 years) £4. Tickets available from Colchester Visitor Centre, Queen Street Tel. (01206) 282920. Money raised from the event is used to support people and groups with special requirements living in the local community.

Free entry to Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle will be open to the public Free of charge on Saturday 12th September from 10.00am until 4.30pm.

This is a fantastic chance to learn all about Roman Colchester and Boudica as well as looking around the castle itself - so don't miss out!

Colchester Party in the Park 2009
Party in the Park this year takes place on Friday 31st July & Saturday 1st August in Lower Castle Park. Admission is £19.50 for adults and £5 for children under 15 in advance from the Visitor Information Centre, Queen Street Tel. (01206) 282920. Tickets are also available on the gate but are £25 for adults and £10 for children.

There will be no classical music night this year. Instead Friday 31st July is devoted to 80's Music with Duran Duran, Kylie & Wham tribute acts, while on Saturday 1st August the theme is Rock Revival with Elton John, Robbie Williams & Queen tributes on stage. The entertainment starts on both evenings at 7.30pm. Weather permitting parking will be available at Kings Meadow, access via Catchpool Road next to the firestation off Cowdray Avenue. Licenses bar, food & drink stalls will be available.

Colchester Food & Drink Festival
The Colchester Food and Drink Festival takes place in Lower Castle Park on the 27th and 28th of June 2009 from 10.30am to 4.30pm on both days. Admission is £3 for adults, children under 12 are free.

The will be numerous food and drink stalls plus demonstration kitchens and cookery displays. There will also be a competition called 'Sausage Sizzle' in which local butchers and supermarkets compete to make the best sausages and a 'Best of Bacon' event. For those of you who like hot & spicy we dare you to try the 'Fiery Tastes' - everything hot and spicy (and some odd tastes such as chilli chocolate!) will be available for sampling.

Car parking will be available at Kings Meadow - follow the signs along Catchpool Road (alongside the fire station on Cowdray Avenue).

Also taking place at the same time in the park is the Colchester Rose Show.

The Cycle Tour Series comes to Colchester
The Cycle Tour Series visits Colchester town centre on Thursday 18th June 2009. Colchester is one of ten host venues chosen as part of the Tour Series which is being broadcast on digital channel ITV4. The actual race part of the event is due to start at 7.30pm but other cycling related activities will be taking place throughout the day starting at 11.30am with the official civic launch at the town hall.

As a result of the event many of the town centre roads will be closed to traffic from 9.30am until midnight.

Frankie & Benny come to town
American/Italian 50s Style chain Frankie & Benny's have opened a new restaurant in Colchester at Tollgate on the west side of the town. The restaurant has it's own large car park and is only a short distance from the A12 junction at Stanway.

Colchester Medieval Festival & Oyster Fayre
This June 6th & 7th 2009 visit the Colchester Medieval Festival;and Oyster Fayre being held in the Lower Castle Park. An opportunity to experience Medieval Merchants' stalls gathered from all parts of Britain. There will be displays of armed combat including sword-fighting and archery, as well as falconry, wrestling, encampment life and living history. There will also be singers, dancers, musicians, storytellers, jugglers, street players and puppet masters. Admission is £6.00 Adults, £3.00 under 14's & OAPs. Family ticket £16 (2 adults & 2 under 14's). Tickets can be purchased on the gate at Lower Castle Park. Opening hours from 10.30am to 5.30 pm.

Woolies shuts it's doors in Colchester
After trading in the town for almost 100 years the Colchester branch of Woolworths in Culver Square - fondly known thoughout the UK as 'woolies' shut it's doors for the last time on Saturday 3rd January after the firm went into liquidation. The firm had been trading in Colchester for 94 years and almost everything was sold off - even the shop fittings. Sadly 75 staff members lost their jobs.

New Colchester Utd stadium opens at Cuckoo Farm
Colchester United's new 10,000 seater stadium at Cuckoo Farm to the north of Colchester has opened for business in time for the 2009/10 season. The new £14m ground replaces Layer Road, the clubs former home since they were formed in 1937 and which had a capacity of just 6,180 (2014 seating, 4166 standing). Supporters are encouraged to use a bus link from North Station to and from the ground as parking is limited and access to the ground is not easy until a new link road to the nearby A12 has been completed.

The first home game at the new stadium saw Colchester United take on Huddersfield Town in Division 1 - the result 0-0.

Colchester Visual Arts Facility hits a snag!
Building work on the new Colchester Visual Arts Facility has come to a complete stop due to a disagreement between the building contractors and the council. As you can see below when people were given a chance to have their say on this website about the project the majority thought "It would cost over budget, run at a loss and close within 2/3 years". However no-one expected it to run into problems before it was even close to being completed! We now wait anxiously to see if the project can be saved or ends up being a multi-million pounds waste of taxpayers money. An agreement has been reached between the council and developers to at least finish the shell of the building and make it weatherproof while the remaining funding issues are tackled.

Colchester Leisureworld gets £240k Facelift

Colchester's most popular visitor attraction, Leisureworld on Cowdray Avenue, is currently undergoing a major programme of improvements and updates. The main attraction, the Leisure Pool, has been closed since before Christmas while the work is being carried out. The new attractions will include a Pirate shipwreck theme, water cannons, shower rails, tipping buckets and lots more!

Colchester on the Monopoly Map!
Colchester and it's castle are to be featured on a new UK edition of the famous Monopoly board game. Along with London & Manchester the town is one of the Crimson coloured areas which were Pall Mall, Whitehall & Northumberland Avenue on the original classic layout.

Colchester, which came 17th in a public poll, is in the position formerly occupied by Pall Mall but with a price tag of £1.4m in the new edition against the original Pall Mall value of £140!

Room with a view?

Plans have recently been submitted to Colchester Council to convert the famous local 'Jumbo' Water Tower which stands at the head of the High Street into luxury apartments and flats, plus a restaurant and cafe open to the public. The plans include a ground floor cafe, a mid-section restaurant to seat up to 72 people, plus 3 mid-section flats and 2 luxury Penthouse flats at the top levels. If approved the restaurant should provide some fantastic views over the town and breathe a new lease of life into a much-loved but recently neglected landmark.

Colchester Parks win Top Awards.
Castle Park and High Woods Country Park have both received Green Flag and Green Heritage awards. Castle Park won its 6th Green Flag and 5th Green Heritage award, while High Woods Country Park wins a 5th Green Flag award. The awards are designed to recognise the best parks in the United Kingdom.

First stage of Western by-pass opens.
The first stage of the new Colchester West by-pass was officially opened on 20th July 2007 - a full 20 years after it's initial concept. The new section of road links Tollgate retail park with Essex Yeomanry Way and the A12 interchange and has been designed to relieve traffic at Tollgate roundabout.

Construction of the second stage of the by-pass, between Tollgate and Warren Lane, is due to begin in autumn 2007. This is designed to divert traffic away from Stanway completely.

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