This piece was first published in the Colchester United programme yesterday.
Bury: it’s not Bolton – or Burnley for that matter. Many thanks to all the away fans that have come to our town today. The Colchester Chronicle blog firmly believes in celebrating your own patch. Google Bury, and the Shakers come second to the Borough Council.
Brilliant – push them off the top spot and let football put your town on the map.
It’s almost similar here in Sunny Colch. The U’s are climbing the Google rankings in much the same way that Joe Dunne’s new era team is making progress in Division 1. Only Wikipedia, Tourism, the Borough Council and Colchester Zoo stand in the way (of the Google rankings, not of Joe Dunne’s new era team…)
In the past few weeks we’ve been blogging about some of the other locations that are starting to makes some headlines around the town. Let’s start off with the Hythe, the forgotten industrial heartbeat of Sunny Colch.
Two projects are coming together, both with the aim of talking up the local community. Hythe Forward aims to re-start the regeneration out towards the east by getting local folk to talk and take control of their interests. Parallels can be made with the U’s back four over recent weeks…
Meanwhile the Town to Port project is attempting to plot an art trail from the town centre out towards the Hythe. The plan is to encourage more people to explore the Hythe, and to hopefully boost local businesses. Has anyone ever thought about setting up some abstract art from North Station out towards the Weston Homes Community Stadium? Failing that then a pub trail should bring out some of the ‘artists.’
But back towards town and that nice Mary Portas has stumped up the cash to try and regenerate St Botolph’s. Not quite true – it’s the coalition government, and the £10k awarded to local organisation the Creative Coop is hardly going to signal the arrival of Cultural Quarter.
But it’s a start. You’d be surprised how far £10k can be stretched these days. Clinton Morrison, Freddie Sears and Josh Thompson – total expenditure: NOTHING [um, a few contractual issues possibly, but you get the idea.]
Now that’s what we call a Colchester cultural regeneration.
Colchester: it’s not Cambridge – or Chelmsford for that matter.
Best not go Googling Colchester and Chelmsford though.
