The Mayor’s Variety Show

When Rodney Appleyard approached me about TIF supporting the Mayor of Colchester’s Variety Show at the Mercury Theatre, we said yes for a simple reason: it was the right thing to do in our local community.

We designed and produced the event programme, and we prepurchased tickets for people from the Colchester Foodbank who wouldn’t otherwise have been able to attend. Over 450 people filled the Mercury on the night. Some of them were there because we made it possible. That matters to us.

The show itself was a genuine celebration of local talent. Hosted by Colchester’s own Michael J. Fitch, vice president of the Magic Circle, the evening brought together 15 acts spanning choir, comedy, parkour, musical theatre, and live music. The Big Sing Choir, fresh from Britain’s Got Talent. The Crunchy Frog Players. Kinetix. Harriet Cree, a Suffolk-born singer-songwriter whose voice stopped the room. Colette Van Sertima closing the night with the kind of energy that reminds you why live performance matters.

Mayor Mike Lilley described it as the best evening of his year. Alderman Lyn Barton called it a real feel-good factor. We’d agree.

Funds raised on the night support five charities chosen by the Mayor: the Colchester Foodbank, Open Road, The Underdog Crew, Level Best Enterprises, and The Not Forgotten. Five great charities that do important work for vulnerable people in our community.

We’re proud to be part of Colchester. We are not just based here, we are genuinely rooted here. Supporting events like this is one way we act on that. It’s also a reminder that business can be a force for good in its local community when it chooses to be.

If you’d still like to donate to the Mayor’s charities, you can do so at gofundme.com/f/colchestermayorscharities.