29 Apr 2013
In the next few weeks, you’ll start to notice some rather unusual sights on the streets of Colchester – a herd of 2.5m giraffe sculptures!
These 30 beautiful pieces of art have been individually designed and painted to mark the 50th anniversary of Colchester Zoo, in a campaign called Stand Tall for Giraffes. Local schoolchildren have also been busy designing their own 4ft versions, and television nature expert Steve Backshall will be judging the best later this month. We’re honoured to have helped the zoo promote this fabulous campaign and wish them a very happy birthday!
It’s not only the zoo that’s celebrating a big anniversary in 2013. Ellisons Solicitors, which has offices in Colchester, Clacton, Dovercourt and Frinton, has been in business for a staggering 250 years this year – amazing to think what their first branch would have looked like compared to today! And you may have seen press coverage of the 175 year anniversary of local building firm Kent Blaxill. We saw them put on a show to mark the occasion, with the directors and their families taking a horse and cart through the streets of Colchester.
Meanwhile, Marks Tey-based brickmakers WH Collier is commemorating its 150th anniversary this year. The firm was set up in this area when William Holman Collier moved here from a brickmaking business in Reading. At its busiest, production was over 5 million pieces a year including bricks, flower pots, roofing tiles and fireplace briquettes. The firm still has a pair of kilns from 1883! It’s also 60 years since Stanways’ Kings Coaches started offering tours and private hire. Today, they have a fleet of coaches offering luxury holidays, theatre trips and days out.
These wonderful local businesses are in good company when it comes to anniversaries – 2013 also marks 50 years
of the Lamborghini. Its year-long celebrations will have their focus in May, when hundreds of vintage and modern models will tour 1,200km of Italy’s roads – we’re sure that will be quite a sight to behold!
2013 is also the 50th anniversary of that enigmatic character, the doctor from Dr Who. The media has been rife with suggestion and speculation about how the big birthday will be celebrated, but we know lots of old favourites will be coming together for a special episode. We’re looking forward to seeing David Tennant and Billie Piper back together, if nothing else!
So happy birthday to all of these wonderful companies – and to you if you’re marking a milestone year in 2013!