Editor, Author at Invest Colchester

Colchester Institute Chief Executive, Alison Andreas, speaking at the launch of the new Construction Training Centre in Colchester

Colchester Institute and L Lynch Launch New Construction Training Centre in Colchester

Posted on July 8, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Colchester Institute and leading plant hire and infrastructure specialist L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage have officially launched a new Construction Training Centre in Colchester designed to support the significant and growing demand for skilled plant operatives across major infrastructure projects in the East of England, including Sizewell C, National Grid and the Lower Thames Crossing.

The launch of this new training centre marks the beginning of an exciting collaboration that will help connect individuals with training opportunities, leading to long-term careers in the construction industry.

Find out more: https://www.colchester.ac.uk/2026/06/11/l-lynch-launch-construction-training-centre/

Image credit:

Image of MOLO's aim of the app which is to manage modern family life effectively

UK Startup Award winner helped by University of Essex researchers

Posted on July 8, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

A startup supported by Essex researchers to develop a groundbreaking app to help parents cope with the mental load of bringing up children in the modern world has won a UK Startup Award.

MOLO, the AI-powered ‘family operating system’, has won the Consumer Services StartUp of the Year Award for London with judges highlighting the partnership with the University of Essex.

The UK Startup Awards recognise the achievements of amazing individuals who have had a great idea, spotted the opportunity and taken the risks to launch a new product or service.

Find out more https://www.essex.ac.uk/news/2026/06/17/uk-startup-award-winner-helped-by-essex-researchers

Image credit: MOLO

Six Colchester tech companies feature in Essex Tech 50 2026

Posted on June 4, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

The Essex tech sector continues to grow from strength to strength, from billion pound investment in supercomputers in Thurrock, to local entrepreneurs taking that risk and starting their newest venture on a shoestring.

Today, Essex is home to an estimated 5,320 tech businesses employing over 20,500 people, a testament to its dynamic and growing ecosystem.

This third iteration of the Tech 50 shows the depth of growing and highly competitive businesses who are based in Essex. This year, we’ve also introduced individual awards to recognise truly outstanding contributors, a challenging task given the wealth of talent within our borders.

The Tech 50 has gone from a simple to list to a catalyst of competition within our county and acted as a springboard for those aspiring to be on the next cohort of Grow Essex Global. We hope the following businesses and individuals inspire you to innovate and grow, and to make you certain that Essex really is the home of innovation.

Colchester has a burgeoning tech sector and features strongly in the Essex Tech 50 list this year:

Image credit: Ambitious Essex

Read more about Colchester’s Essex Tech 50 2026 companies:

Concurrent – Extraordinary Essex

iSite TV – Extraordinary Essex

Mammoth Creative – Extraordinary Essex

Marmoset – Extraordinary Essex

Merlin Cloud – Extraordinary Essex

Softvize – Extraordinary Essex

Colchester’s new Digital Forum wins two construction awards

Posted on June 4, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

The Digital Forum on Queen Street has picked up two awards at the Constructing Excellence Essex Club Awards.

The team behind the development were recognised with Building Project of the Year and Conservation & Regeneration winner .

Horizon Construction Group and Inkpen Downie Architects and the Daniel Connal Partnership, all based around Colchester, played key roles in the project which has transformed a complex historic site into an ultra-modern business hub for the digital companies and freelancers.

Image credit: Horizon Construction

Colchester Institute Celebrates Outstanding Apprenticeship Achievement Rates

Posted on June 4, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Colchester Institute is celebrating a fantastic set of apprenticeship results for 2024/25, achieving an impressive 72.9% apprenticeship achievement rate. This means nearly three-quarters of apprentices successfully completed their apprenticeship programme, placing Colchester Institute 7.5% above the national average and marks an 8.1% improvement on last year’s performance.

Colchester Institute also recorded outstanding results across several individual subject areas including Construction, Engineering, and Mechanical and Electrical Services. Most notably, the Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician apprenticeship achieved the highest outcomes in the country, with a 90.3% achievement rate, significantly outperforming the national average of 44.2%.

These achievements mean the College is now ranked 6th nationally among large FE colleges for apprenticeship achievement, a significant milestone for the region.

Image credit: Colchester Institute

Colchester Gift Retailer Wins National Award for Innovation

Posted on June 4, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Popular Colchester gift retailer, Bill & Burts, has won a national award for Best Retailer Initiative at the recent National Gift Retailer Awards.

Bill Nettelfield runs gift shop Bill and Bert’s in Sir Isaac’s Walk alongside business partner Sarah Charlton.

The business beat five other nominees from across the country to win Best Retailer Initiative at The Greats Gift Retailer Awards on May 14 in London.

The Award recognised the shop’s innovative approach for its ‘What’s In The Box?’ videos which it started posting weekly on social media over the last few years.

Image credit: Bill & Burts

Students unveil bold new vision for Colchester’s iconic ‘Jumbo’ Water Tower

Posted on June 4, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Students from the University of Essex’s Edge Hotel School have come up with ideas for the future of Colchester’s iconic Jumbo Water Tower, delivering bold new suggestions that impressed project leaders.

The Victorian water tower, affectionately known as ‘Jumbo’ locally, is currently undergoing a multi-million refurbishment, led by The Balkerne Tower Trust.

The consultancy project challenged students to develop creative proposals for the historic structure, building on earlier calls for fresh ideas to transform the much-loved site. Rising to the task, the group went beyond the original brief, proposing that Jumbo should become a destination restaurant, The Balkerne Bistro, rather than a traditional events venue.

Image credit: Edge Hotel School, University of Essex, Wivenhoe House Hotel

Colchester arts venues awarded £1.5m from Arts Council England

Posted on April 16, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Colchester venues have received a £1.5m government boost for the arts from the government as part of a £127.8m package from the Creative Foundations Fund to address urgent infrastructure needs and the Museum Estate and Development fund to help museums undertake vital infrastructure works and improve the visitor experience.

Firstsite has received the most money out of any Colchester organisation securing £995,000 in capital investment from Arts Council England.

Stagetext, based at the Mercury Theatre, has also been awarded £183,356 to continue its work making culture accessible and Colchester Museums’ Natural History Museum has been given £499,477.

Image credit: Colchester City Council

Colchester Institute's Alison Andreas, Principal and Chief Executive with Mark Emerson, Vice Principal, Curriculum Innovation and Transformation

Colchester Institute designated a Clean Energy Technical Excellence College (CETEC)

Posted on April 14, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Colchester Institute has been given a share of £175m by the Government to transform it into a centre of technical excellence.

The government has awarded the Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) status to 19 new colleges across the country but Colchester Institute is one of only five colleges to receive clean energy designation.

The funding aims to help deliver high-quality training in the sectors driving Britain’s growth such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy and defence, as well as digital and technologies.

Picture credit: Colchester Institute

More follows: https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/26018112.colchester-institute-technical-excellence-college/

Mercury Theatre wins Sustainable Workplace of the Year Award

Posted on April 14, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Colchester’s Mercury Theatre has been recognised by a regional awards scheme recently when it was named winner of the Sustainable Workplace of the Year award, sponsored by Indigo Swan, at the East Anglia Clean and Green Awards 2026.

The theatre has made significant strides by incorporating sustainability practices into its operations, with a strong focus on environmental responsibility and community engagement.

It operates on 100% renewable electricity, supported by a 67.5kW rooftop solar energy system that powers the building and returns surplus energy to the grid.

Image credit: East Anglian Daily Times / Matthew Potter Photography and Videography