Friends, Colcestrians and countrymen are backing Colchester’s Roman Circus appeal to the hilt.

The campaign to raise £750,000 to build a heritage centre on the site of the circus’s starting gates has really caught the imagination of local people. Support has come from across the community, from schoolchildren and families making memorial donations to organisations and the business sector.

The consortium, made up of the Colchester Archaeological Trust and destination Colchester, have until the end of February to raise the £200,000 still needed to buy the Victorian listed Sergeants’ Mess site and its gardens. So far, their total stands at £115,000.

Trust director Philip Crummy said: “There has been a steady stream of donations, big and small. It has been totally brilliant. We have been very encouraged by the response we are getting from organisations and individuals."

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