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Colcheco, 37 Layer Road, Colchester (2026)

15/10/2026

LOCAL PEOPLE IN A LOCAL PLACE… Sandy Armitage Designs at her Colchester home…

A few weeks ago, I visited Sandy Armitage at her Colchester home, in an area that holds some childhood memories for me. I used to visit my great-grandma here, so I was curious to see how Sandy had decorated her house.

Armed with some fresh bakes from the lovely Hollyhock Café on the Rec, I stepped into Sandy’s home — and it was quite a contrast to the dark little Victorian “two-up, two-down” house I remembered! Walking through the door, I could almost imagine I was in a trendy London suburb rather than a Victorian estate in Colchester.

Sandy has designed her home around the needs of herself and her partner, opening up the space with plenty of light, indoor plants and an eclectic collection of unique finds. The plants bring the outside in, brightening the space and adding life, while the furnishings and carefully chosen details give the house a character all of its own.

What particularly interested me was how many of the items had been acquired second hand, often for free. Some have been kept just as they were found, while others have been upcycled, repurposed or given a completely new lease of life. Each seems to have its own story, explaining how it came to be there and why Sandy chose to keep it.

She has even kept a light fitting from the previous owner, a lovely little nod to the person who lived there before her. It’s a reminder that a home can evolve and change while still retaining little pieces of its history.

But how did Sandy get here?

Sandy was born in Hampstead, but her family moved to sunny Canvey Island when she was young. There, she enjoyed growing up in a welcoming seaside community, with the sea air and beach on the doorstep.

After finishing school, Sandy enrolled at college to study window display. She speaks fondly of this course, crediting it with giving her the skills and foundations that would shape her career.

Her work took her into bathroom sales and the world of high-end kitchen and bathroom design, where she gained experience in creating beautiful spaces. But she also saw another side of the industry: the waste.

One experience particularly stayed with her. Sandy had designed three bathrooms, commissioned through an interior designer. Keen to photograph her finished work, she phoned the interior designer to ask if she could arrange a visit. Instead, she received some unexpected news: all three bathrooms had been ripped out within weeks because the property was being prepared for sale!

Imagine discovering that the work you had designed and helped bring to life had already been discarded. It’s a striking example of how much money, material and skilled work can be wasted simply because someone wants a house to look different.

This experience helped shape Sandy’s thinking and the direction she has taken with her own business, Sandy Armitage Designs

Her approach is about helping people transform their spaces to suit their needs, tastes and budgets, without automatically starting from scratch. By incorporating second-hand finds, reusing existing pieces and upcycling where appropriate, it’s possible to create something genuinely individual — and potentially spend less than buying everything new.

Sandy can tailor her approach to the budget available, showing that thoughtful interior design doesn’t have to mean an expensive shopping list of brand-new furniture and fittings.

For me, her home is a wonderful example of how sustainability and good design can work together naturally. It’s not about compromising on style or making everything match. It’s about being creative, recognising potential and choosing things that have meaning as well as purpose.

Thank you to Sandy for welcoming me into her home and sharing her story. And thank you to Hollyhock Cafe for providing the delicious bakes that accompanied my visit! 💚

Sometimes, creating a beautiful home isn’t about buying more. It’s about seeing what you already have — and what something previously loved could become.

To find out more about Sandy’s work, visit her website - https://www.sandyarmitage.co.uk

02/10/2026

🔧 COLCHESTER MAKES, MENDS & REPAIRS! 🧵

I’m putting together a local directory of businesses and people in and around Colchester who make, mend, repair, restore, upcycle or repurpose things — helping us find local alternatives to throwing things away and keeping useful items in circulation for longer.

And I’d love your help finding them! 👇

Do you make, mend, repair or transform:

👗 Clothing & textiles
👜 Bags & accessories
👞 Shoes & leather goods
🪑 Furniture & wooden items
⚡ Electricals & electronics
🚲 Bikes
🚙 Cars
💍 Jewellery & watches
🧵 Upholstery & soft furnishings
🧰 Household items
🎨 Materials & creative pieces
♻️ Or something completely different?

If this is you, drop your tag in the comments or send me a message and tell me what you offer.

And if you know someone local who should be on the list, tag them too!

I’m particularly interested in businesses and independent makers in Colchester and the surrounding area.

The aim is simple: make it easier for local people to find the skills and services they need to repair, reuse, remake and keep things in circulation for longer — while supporting local businesses at the same time. 💚

Who should I add? 👇

♻️

01/10/2026

It was great to attend the In Colchester networking event on Tuesday, held in the beautiful Old Library at Colchester Town Hall.

As someone who has lived, worked and built a business in Colchester, I’ve always felt passionately about our town centre and the people and businesses that make it what it is. I remember the Colchester BID being formed, so it was really interesting to hear more about how it has developed and the work that goes on behind the scenes.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with it, a BID (Business Improvement District) brings local businesses together to invest in projects and services that improve the business environment and experience of an area.

The Colchester BID operates within the city centre, but businesses outside the BID area can now become Friends of the BID too, helping to connect the wider Colchester business community.

There’s also the In Colchester app, bringing information about local businesses, events and things happening across the city into one place.

And there’s certainly no shortage of events! From the Summer Series concerts and Soapbox Rally to the Christmas Lights Switch On and Beat the Streets, the BID plays a big part in bringing people into the city and creating reasons to visit, shop, eat, explore and enjoy Colchester.

It was lovely to meet new people and hear the thoughts and perspectives of the panel, representing different areas of the local business community.

One of the things I’m enjoying most at the moment is getting to know more of the people behind Colchester’s businesses and projects. The more people I meet, the more I’m starting to see the bigger picture — what’s already happening, where there might be gaps and opportunities, and where different projects, businesses and organisations could connect and work together more closely.

There are lots of great things happening locally, and I’d love to see more of those connections being made.

29/09/2026

LOCAL PEOPLE IN A LOCAL PLACE - Jonny Ruffell at the Mercury Theatre.

A couple of weeks ago I met up with Jonny Ruffell, Director of Community Energy Colchester, at the Mercury Theatre café to chat about community energy, sustainability and Colchester.

Community energy is about giving local people more involvement and a stake in how energy is generated and used in their area. Jonny is currently looking for investors for Community Energy Colchester, so do get in touch with him if you would like to find out more.

We also talked about Jonny’s own approach to sustainability. He’s been renovating his home and looking for second-hand and reclaimed materials to use, as well as growing his own food. It was interesting to hear how sustainability comes into different aspects of his everyday life.

Jonny is also now co-running People, Planet, Pint in Colchester, which is being relaunched on 15 October at Two Brews, 6–8pm. Tickets are free via Eventbrite.

Our conversation also turned to Colchester’s history, which we both feel is often, frustratingly, overlooked.

We were pleased to see a project finally starting on Jumbo Water Tower though — Jonny has even been on a tour to the top!

We also discovered that both our families have connections going back several generations in Colchester. Jonny told me a brilliant story about a metal detectorist finding two halves of a broken buckle on farmland, weeks apart — with the name of one of his own Ruffell ancestors inscribed on it!

It struck me as a rather poignant reminder that things we might consider to be of no use, or even ‘waste’, can hold completely different value to someone else — whether that’s a piece of building material, something being passed on for reuse, or in this case, a tiny piece of local history connecting someone to their ancestors.

There are so many stories, connections and opportunities for reuse hidden in the places around us. Sometimes we just need to look a little closer.

28/09/2026

On Friday I spent the day at Colchester Zoo for the Sustainable Futures Business Event, organised by Maz, Sustainability & Climate Change Officer at Colchester City Council to focus on how businesses can become more sustainable.

There was a lot packed into the day — biodiversity, nature recovery, sustainable procurement, supply chains, carbon reduction and communicating sustainability effectively.

It was really encouraging to hear about the practical steps so many local businesses and organisations are already taking to improve their environmental impact — from reducing energy and water use, reusing materials and changing procurement practices, to creating more space for nature and biodiversity. There were examples of both small changes to everyday operations and much larger projects, showing that businesses can make progress in lots of different ways.

The zoo tour was a great addition too, giving us the chance to see some of this in practice, with solar panels, biomass heating, rainwater collection, reused materials and biodiversity projects.

It was also brilliant to catch up with familiar faces and chat to lots of new people. The day went so quickly that I definitely didn’t get to speak to everyone I wanted to!

If you were there and we didn’t get a chance to chat, or you’re working on something interesting around sustainability, reuse or the circular economy, I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks Maz for bringing everyone together. Lots of ideas, conversations and connections to continue from here. 🌱

24/09/2026

Last night I went along to the launch of GoCargo, the new Colchester ECargo bike app, at the Digital Forum.

The app will make it easier for residents and businesses to transport items around Colchester by e-cargo bike — providing another option for moving things around our town and potentially helping to ease some of the congestion and pollution on our roads.

It was great to hear more about the idea behind GoCargo, as well as chatting to a few familiar faces, including some former Colcheco Refill Shop customers!

There was also live music and some great food from local businesses, making it a really enjoyable evening.

I’m always interested in practical local solutions that make it easier for people and businesses to do things a little differently. 🌱

20/09/2026

LOCAL PEOPLE IN A LOCAL PLACE - Rennie Chivers at Tymperleys.

Oyez, oyez, oyez…it’s another ‘local people in local places’! 📣

Last week I had the pleasure of catching up with a former colleague, Rennie Chivers — who is none other than Colchester’s Town Crier!

We met for tea at the beautiful & historic Tymperleys — a lovely setting for a chat about Colchester, its history and its future.

I have fond memories of Rennie roller-skating through the office dressed as Father Christmas to hand out the Secret Santa presents, so perhaps it came as no surprise to learn that, in 2024, he took up the voluntary role of Town Crier when the previous crier, Bob Needham, retired.

The role has a fascinating history. Town criers were once the way news was delivered to local people, ringing a bell in the street to gather everyone’s attention. Today, the role has evolved to include civic events, announcements and helping to keep local traditions and heritage alive.

Rennie, a former Yorkshireman, moved to Colchester in 1983 and, since retiring, has thrown himself into researching the city’s history and heritage, with a real passion for making Colchester a better place for residents and visitors.

When we talked about sustainability, Rennie’s first reaction was that he wouldn’t class himself as particularly sustainable.

But as we chatted, it became clear that sustainability doesn’t always have to be something we consciously label ourselves as doing.

Rennie loves sewing and making his own clothes — quality pieces made to last — including his rather impressive Town Crier uniforms! He’s also previously enjoyed making quality bird boxes, and even when I met him he had to dash home to finish a gardening project.

Perhaps that’s the thing about sustainability. It can be as simple as making things, fixing things, looking after things and making them last.

And there’s something rather fitting about a Town Crier helping to keep Colchester’s history alive too.

If you’d like to meet Rennie for yourself, he opens the 11am walking tour from Colchester Town Hall every Saturday — and apparently he’s available for selfies too! 😂📸

Thank you, Rennie, for the chat — and for giving me a glimpse behind the role!

Oyez, oyez…see you next time!

17/09/2026

LOCAL PEOPLE IN A LOCAL PLACE - Kev the Reseller at St Helena.

This week I met with none other than Kev The Reseller !

We met at St Helena Charity Shop at Peartree, which has a café inside — a very fitting place for two people to chat about one of our favourite subjects… waste!

Kev has been reselling for 15 years and it’s now his full-time job. He’s a firm believer that “one person’s junk is another’s treasure” — and after chatting to him, I can certainly see why!

We talked about the many different ways things can find a new home, from car boot sales, Vinted, eBay and eBay Live, to Whatnot and antiques centres, as well as the amazing work done by charity shops and some of the challenges they face.

Kev particularly enjoys finding unusual items, researching them and discovering the history behind each piece. He even told me about a couple of rarer items he has found locally in charity shops and managed to reunite with the families they belonged to — including a rare theatre programme and some World War diaries.

We both agreed that people often hold onto “stuff” simply because they don’t know how to get it to the people who might want or need it.

That really resonated with me. When I had my refill shop, I ran numerous recycling and collection schemes, including collections for Dogs Trust, Re-Cycle and the former NSPCC Book Fair, alongside other local collection and reuse schemes.

I was often amazed by the quality and quantity of things people were happy to donate once they knew they were going somewhere useful.

Keeping things in circulation isn’t just about recycling — it’s about finding the right route for something to be useful again.

Kev has also recently started organising Jumble Sale Trails in different areas. Following the success of Lakeland, Beacon End and Highwoods, there are two more coming up:

📍 Mile End — Sunday 27th September, 10am–2pm

📍 Stanway — Sunday 11th October, 10am–2pm

We talked about how these trails can help people have a clear-out, give others the chance to buy pre-loved items, bring neighbours together, raise awareness of local businesses and raise money for St Helena Hospice at the same time.

It’s a great example of how something as simple as people selling the things they no longer need can have a much wider community impact.

And as we were finishing our chat, Wendy, the shop manager, arrived — so we ended up explaining what we were both doing! I love these unexpected local connections.

There are so many people doing interesting things locally, and I’m looking forward to finding out more about them, the places they work from and the ideas they’re putting into practice.

Thanks Kev for the coffee and a fascinating chat — and thank you to Wendy for the unexpected addition to our conversation!

More local people, more local places and more stories to come. ♻️

14/09/2026

📦 I’ve sent my BT equipment back… but where does it actually go?

I’ve been asked to return the BT equipment from my old shop.

BT sent me a prepaid Royal Mail label, a rather flimsy (and unpadded!) return bag and instructions to send it to an address in Scotland.

Luckily, I’d kept the original box for the WiFi equipment — although, as anyone who has ever tried to put something back in its original packaging will know… it never quite fits the same way the second time! 😂

So I put back what I could, wrapped the phone and cables in some brown packaging paper I’d saved from deliveries, attached the label and sent it on its way.

But then I started wondering…

- What actually happens to all this equipment once BT receives it? 🤔

- Does it get tested and sent back out to another customer?

- Is it repaired or refurbished?

- Are components recovered?

- What happens to equipment that can’t be reused?

- And what happens to the packaging?

So I have decided to find out.

I put a handwritten note inside the package asking if someone at BT could let me know what happens to returned equipment — or, even better, whether I might be able to visit and see the process for myself as part of my sustainability work with Colcheco.

They may completely ignore my note… 😂

But if they don’t, I’d LOVE to find out.

Because I suspect I’m not the only person who has handed back a router, phone or other bit of technology and wondered:

“Where does this actually go?”

So… BT 👋

If anyone from BT is reading this, I’d love to hear from you!

And if I do find out what happens to it, I’ll share what I learn.

One ordinary piece of returned equipment → one question about what happens next → potentially a whole story about reuse, repair, refurbishment and keeping technology in circulation. ♻️

Have you ever wondered what happens to your returned technology?

10/09/2026

LOCAL PEOPLE IN A LOCAL PLACE - Tracey Davies at Cafe 21.

It was great to meet Tracey Davies Photography yesterday at Café 21 Colchester — local people in a local place! 💚

I suggested Cafe 21 because it’s somewhere I already love going for a drink or a light bite, and the garden underneath a massive tree canopy has to be one of the loveliest and most unique places to sit in Colchester. 🌳

Tracey is a documentary photographer driven by people, culture and community, creating honest, vibrant images shaped by empathy and intent.

A former A&E nurse, she has recently been awarded a scholarship to study an MA in Documentary Photography & Photojournalism at UAL, part time. 📷

I was surprised to learn during our conversation that Tracey was the person who recently brought ‘Beat the Street’ to Colchester and co-ordinated the people involved. I love discovering these connections and finding out just how much people have contributed to our local community.

Tracey reached out to me after seeing my post last week, and we’ve already started brainstorming ideas about how she can help me with the next chapter of Colcheco.

And it feels like a really natural fit.

I enjoy the research, conversations and writing, while Tracey can document the people, places and stories through her photography.

Sustainability is still at the heart of Colcheco — after all, it’s right there in the name: Colchester + Eco.

But I’m interested in exploring sustainability through the people, businesses, projects, ideas and everyday actions happening across our community.

There are so many positive things happening locally, and I want to discover them, learn from them and share them.

Yesterday felt like a pretty perfect example of that. 💚

Thank you Tracey for reaching out — and Cafe 21 for the lovely setting.

Colcheco

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